Tapestry
by cmar
Summary: This time, between a new and terrible menace from another dimension and the ever present threat of baby diapers, Wes, Jen, and Eric are the ones who need help. Sequel to 'Crossroads' and 'Reversals of Fortune'. Complete!
1. Mirrored

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone.

If you haven't read 'Reversals of Fortune', the main thing you need to know is that during a Time Force experiment in dimensional travel, Wes, Jen, and Eric visited an alternate reality in which everyone's gender is reversed, and met their own doubles: Wendy, Jon, and Erica. Shortly after this Jen revealed she was pregnant, just as Wendy was pregnant in that world. (Jen stayed in our time and she and Wes married some time ago in this fic series.)

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Mirrored

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005_**

"The theory is that every time a choice is made, every time something happens by chance, all the possible outcomes exist at the same time. Kind of like what used to be called the uncertainty principle; an electron exists in an infinite number of places at once, and you can only say where it's likely to be, not where it _is_. Well, the multiverse exists in many different versions, all of them sort of possibilities, universes that are parallel to ours, some of them almost the same as us and some a lot different. We only know about one of them, of course, because we only live in one of them; but just because we don't see the others doesn't mean they're not real, and maybe even interact with us in some way we don't know about."

Trix watched for her dinner companions' reactions eagerly as she paused in her explanation. Lucie was frowning in either skepticism, confusion, boredom, or all three. Kevin was smiling, although he looked more amused than scientifically interested. Still, "Fascinating," he murmured. "Tell us more."

Even as Trix took a breath, Lucie cut in, a pained expression on her face. "No, _don't_ tell us more. Parallel universes where things didn't go the same way they did in ours. Some very similar to us, some a lot different. Got it." She shrugged. "What's the point?"

"Some very different, yeah," Trix said, ignoring Lucie's sigh. "Wouldn't you love to see some of them? To see how they developed, and-"

"No. No, I wouldn't."

"Oh, come on," Kevin protested. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I've had enough adventure for a while, thank you." Lucie smiled, and stretched her arms overhead before shoving her chair back and standing up. "Don't know about you, but it's been a long week, and I can't wait to get home."

"Hot date with a racer?" Kevin asked, just a little sarcasm slipping into his voice. "And I mean the car, not the driver."

"As a matter of fact, yes. Not that I couldn't get any driver I want." Lucie threw him a playfully arrogant look over her shoulder, flipped her black hair back with a practiced gesture, and started out.

Trix followed, with Kevin behind her. As the three of them passed the mirror-tiled wall of the Time Force lunchroom exit hall, headed for the outside door and the weekend ahead, Lucie stopped for a moment to make sure every hair was in place. Trix, used to her teammate's vanity, also glanced at her own reflection. Both their faces were Asian, but that was where the resemblance ended; while Lucie was tall and beautiful, Trix herself was - well - short, round-faced, and the possessor of a thick mop of startling bright green hair. Kevin, her best friend, towered over her shoulder, his handsome brown face smiling warmly at her for a moment.

"Why the sudden interest in parallel dimensions?" he asked as they emerged under a sky lit with the fading colors of sunset.

The answer surprised Trix herself. "I'm... I'm not sure," she said. "But I have a feeling it's important. Or it will be."

"Oh man, you and your visions..." Lucie groaned.

"Not a vision exactly, but-"

"Hold on." Lucie raised her wrist as the morpher strapped on it signaled, and held it up so they all could see the tiny, three-dimensional image that appeared above its surface.

The face of a black-haired, blue-eyed woman peered out at them as her voice came from the morpher's communicator. "_Lucie, Trix, Kevin. Meet me at the timeship hanger bay immediately."_

"Alex, what is it?"

"_No time. Just get here! We have an escape attempt!"_

Trix met her teammates' eyes. Alexandra never exaggerated. This was an emergency. She raised her own morpher. Together the three of them shouted, "Time for Time Force!" A moment later she was in her familiar green Ranger suit, looking at Kevin in yellow and Lucie in blue.

"Let's go!"

- - -

They were too late; Trix knew it even as they ran the last few meters, dashed around the side of the main shipyard building, and skidded to a halt as a scream of pain rang through the air.

"Alex!" Kevin shouted.

"There!" Lucie started forward again. They followed her to a form lying huddled in the open hangar doorway.

At a touch, it stirred. _Still alive,_ Trix thought in relief, pushing away the memory of seeing that same face slackening into what they had thought was death, over four years ago. Alex blinked up at them groggily and then turned her head, a hand lifting in a shaky gesture.

"In there... He knocked out the technicians, got into the ship... Stop him..."

"Who?"

Alex seemed to regain some strength. She sat up. "A guard from the prison, I recognized the uniform."

"But..." Lucie shared a glance with them. "Can't be! Time Force guards are screened!" It was true; everyone who came in contact with the most dangerous mutant criminals on Earth was carefully selected and trained; it was unheard of for one of them to turn against Time Force without an excellent reason.

"Not his fault!" Alex was gasping as she struggled to get to her feet. "He's been taken - by Proteus!"

"Proteus?" Kevin protested. "But - how? He's in containment!"

"He has no physical form, we had to keep him in a force field - he must have been able to reach out mentally even in containment - took a guard over - now he's trying to escape in a time ship - just like Ransika..."

Again they exchanged a glance. There was no way they would let something like that happen again: a powerful criminal escaped into the past, the year-long struggle to recapture her. Trix jumped as the deep rumble of an engine sounded from the dark interior of the hangar.

"Stop him!"

"Too late! Come on!"

Even as Kevin grabbed at Alex, scooping her into his arms and running, Lucie and Trix dived out of the way of the almost spherical ship that hurtled at them from the shadows. It flashed by, coming within a meter or two of hitting them, then lifted in a long arc into the dusky sky. Lucie cursed as a beam shot from it, opening the whirling tunnel of a timehole. An instant later it was gone.

- - -

"His name is Theodore Rubin. Been a prison guard for ten years. He's had a good record, up until now."

Trix glanced back at Alex as their former red Ranger trotted to keep up. She didn't look so good; her face was pale and marred by a black eye and a bruise on one cheek, the result of Rubin's surprise attack.

"We know, Alex," Lucie muttered as they started walking again, hurrying into the auxiliary timeship hanger. "This isn't his fault."

"We'll try not to hurt him," Kevin agreed.

"I'm not so sure now," Alex said. "Proteus can't possess someone who resists."

"That's not true!" Trix blurted, and then flushed as she realized she had just contradicted her superior officer. "I - I mean, he can take over someone's mind if they're sleeping or unconscious or maybe if they don't realize what's going on; it just won't last very long if they fight back."

"That's why he usually did this to children..." Kevin scowled. "What a monster."

"That's certainly something we can all agree on." Alex came to a stop as they reached the round metal shape of the spare timeship they had been authorized to take.

_A monster,_ Trix thought. Not something she'd usually call anyone, even Ransika at her worst. But in the case of Proteus, it fit.

Centuries ago he had adopted the name of an ancient god of the sea with the power to change his shape at will - not that shape-shifting was an ability of the Proteus they were after. No, what he did was infinitely worse, more insidious, and more cruel. Proteus was that rarity, a natural mutant, and one who had been born long before humanity had created such havoc by tampering with its own genetics. Perhaps his first life had been normal; no one really knew. He had lived and died as a human, a thousand years ago. But he had not really died.

His mind, his mental force, could survive outside of his physical body. And it could find a new body to control - if it could overpower the mind that was already there. His easiest targets were children too young and mentally undeveloped to resist - he possessed their bodies, used them, and discarded them when they grew too old for him. How many times had he done it? How many lives had he stolen? How many more, if he wasn't stopped?

"Remember," Alex was saying. "Be careful. He may try to control one of you."

"Not as long as we're on guard against it," Lucie said. "We'll find him, and we'll stop him."

"You'll have to." Alex raised her chin slightly. "He's gone to the year 2006, to Silver Hills, California. To the time and place where he lived in his original human body."

_And the time and place Jon, Wendy, and Erica lived in..._ Trix thought, and in one of her flashes of empathy could 'feel' the others thinking.

"You're familiar with the time period and the location. That'll be an advantage. And... if necessary you can get help from - from the others." Alex's voice was steady - but she hadn't been able to bring herself to say the names of her former fiancé and the woman he had married and stayed with in the distant past, the woman who was her own double except for hair color.

"Don't worry, Alex," Trix said.

"We'd better go." Lucie pressed the door trigger and started into the ship with Kevin behind her. Trix turned to follow.

They stopped for a moment to look back, seeing Alex's form silhouetted against the hanger worklights, her shoulders back and straight, head up, but somehow looking fragile and alone despite the strength they all knew she possessed. "Good luck, Rangers," she said softly. She was still standing at attention as the door slid shut.

- - -

"Why would he have come here? To Bio-Lab?"

"Shhh." Lucie frowned at Kevin's question.

Trix was wondering the exact same thing. Why Bio-Lab, where Proteus must know he'd have a good chance of running into three active Rangers? Did he hope to catch one of them unawares, and take them over as he had done with Rubin, the hapless Time Force prison guard? But Jon had been trained to resist mental attacks; he wouldn't be an easy target. Wendy and Erica lacked that training, but they were both exceptionally strong-willed...

She didn't even realize she had stopped until she saw Lucie and Kevin staring back at her. "Are you okay?" Kevin asked, returning to her side.

"I'm... I felt something..." She looked around, trying to orient herself in the reality of the warehouses, sheds, and piles of boxes and cartons surrounding them in this back area of Bio-Lab. But another image seemed to hover in front of her mental eyes, a double exposure of somewhere else, bewildering as her surroundings seemed to shift into something similar yet not quite the same. She caught a glimpse of three people...

"Trix? Trixie? What is it?" Kevin had caught her shoulders in his hands as she swayed.

"I - I - I'm not - I don't..." she stammered. "Can't be... I thought I saw Jon and Wendy and Erica - but they were - were reversed..."

"Reversed? How?" Lucie was peering into her face, her voice demanding.

"They were - no, it doesn't make any sense." How could she explain that she had just seen an image of Jon as a woman, Wendy and Erica as men, without sounding insane? No. She grabbed onto the one thing that she knew was real, and important. "It's Proteus!" she exclaimed, pulling free of Kevin's grip. "His mind is so powerful, I can sense it!"

"Can you tell where he is?"

She hadn't fully realized it until that moment, but, "I think so! Come on!"

At a run, they rounded the corner of a warehouse building, and saw him. Theodore Rubin, the guard, crouched in the bushes next to the wall, his face pale as he cast a glance over his shoulder in their direction. His expression twisted into a snarl, then went wide-eyed. He lurched to his feet, stumbled, and almost fell.

"Rubin's fighting him," Trix said softly to her teammates. "Proteus is losing control."

"Quick, stun him!" Lucie ordered, her blaster already out of the holster on her hip and aimed at the man before them, whose mouth opened in a soundless grimace of anger and fear.

Three stun blasts reached out, the flare of light almost making Trix blink. They had caught him; the beams struck home, sending Rubin spinning into the warehouse wall and then collapsing limply to the ground. But even as Kevin got out the instrument they had brought to pull out and contain Proteus' mind-field, she knew it was too late.

"He's gotten out!" she cried. She could feel it strongly now that Proteus was no longer shielded by the body he had taken over, the malevolence and inhuman coldness of it, the determination to find another...

"Where is he? Where is he?" Kevin was gasping, turning in a tight circle, his blaster held out stiffly in one hand, the trap in the other.

Trix felt it when he moved - away from them. "There! Come on!"

They ran again, dodging between buildings, looking frantically for someone, anyone, who could have fallen victim... and stopped abruptly as they all saw a strange light ahead, silvery and sparkling, flashing into the sky for a moment or two before it was gone.

And the light wasn't the only thing that was gone. "I've lost him!" Trix cried.

"Come on, he must have gotten inside someone; we've got to find him!"

Lucie was running again, in the direction of the light they had seen. Trix and Kevin followed, turned another corner in the maze of buildings and storage yards, and came to another sudden stop. Four heads turned to face them, surprise written on all four. Two broke into grins, a third frowned, the fourth looked uncertain.

"Lucie! Kevin! Trix!" Wendy exclaimed, brushing a strand of dark blonde hair out of her eyes.

"What the hell's wrong this time?" Erica said, arms crossed, half-Asian face still frowning. An unfamiliar young man with dark brown hair was standing at her side.

"What are you doing here? What's going on?" Jon asked, his arm going around his wife and his smile fading as he eyed their blasters.

"We're after a criminal," Lucie said, taking another cautious look at the area before holstering her weapon.

"A criminal?" Wendy glanced around, too. "Another one?"

"Yes." Katie caught Jon's eye. "Proteus."

"Proteus..." Jon seemed to lose color. "He escaped?"

"And stole a timeship. He was controlling a prison guard, but he left that body and came this way."

"No." Jon pulled Wendy a little closer. "He _couldn't_ have..."

"What's wrong? Proteus can't take over an adult unless he's asleep, or unconscious, or agrees," Lucie said.

Trix took a closer look. Jon was staring down at Wendy, whose hands were spread over her stomach in a way that seemed almost protective... and she _knew_...

"Oh, no..."

- - -

"_Oh, no..."_

With a jolt Trip woke up, his body twitching in the reflex of his sudden return to reality. The reality of his own bedroom, now quiet and dark in the night. Still breathing heavily, he sat up, hands to his head.

"Computer. What time is it?"

"It is 4:21 am," the feminine-sounding voice answered.

"Four... Man, what a dream." The computer made no comment. "Half-lights, please," he said.

As the requested illumination made his room visible, Trip swung his feet out of bed and got up, making his way to the small adjoining bathroom. A few splashes of cold water helped to clear his head - or maybe not. He was somehow startled to see his own, male, face in the mirror, instead of a female version of himself. "What a dream," he repeated. A dream that had seemed almost more real than his own life - he could remember it in detail, including exactly what it felt like to be a woman... He found himself blushing.

It must have been the story of Wes, Jen, and Eric's adventure several months ago, a trip into three parallel dimensions as part of a Time Force experiment in dimensional travel. In the first alternate universe they had visited, the genders of everyone they knew had been reversed, and they had met opposite-sex versions of themselves. Must have been really strange - the idea had caught his imagination, and been the topic of several conversations with Katie and Lucas at the time, speculating on what each of them was like in that reality.

That was when Jen had told them she was pregnant, and in that other universe Wes's female counterpart, Wendy, had been expecting too. How long ago? About seven or eight months... she had already been a month or two along... A thousand years ago, it must be about time for that baby to be born... Maybe that was why he'd had the dream; subconsciously he'd been thinking about Jen, and Wes, and Eric, wondering how they were doing, wishing he could see the baby someday.

But... As Trip climbed back into bed and dimmed the lights, it occurred to him that one question remained unanswered. There was no mutant he knew of who was anything like the Proteus of the dream... where had that idea come from? _Just my imagination,_ he decided with a yawn. And yet, it had seemed so real...

TBC...


	2. The Call

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

The Call

**_Silver Hills, 2006_**

"Are you sure? ... _Now?_ I know... I want to... Yeah... I'll be there as soon as I possibly can."

Eric was only half aware of Wes's lowered voice muttering into his cellphone and of his partner hanging up a moment later. His attention had returned to the building across the street. Normally he would be seeing a busy sidewalk, people passing by, the glass revolving doors spinning as they went in and walked out. Now, however, the street was empty, police roadblocks preventing any traffic by car or on foot. The doors were still, no sign of life except the occasional shadow of movement glimpsed underneath lowered window shades. At least they weren't hearing gunfire.

"Give it up," he muttered softly. "No need to hurt anyone... Don't make things worse than they already are..." Becoming aware he was speaking out loud, he stopped. Not like the bank robbers inside could hear him, anyway.

"What's taking so long?"

"Keep your pants on, Wes." Eric spared a moment for a glance at his partner and co-commander of the Silver Guardians as they both crouched behind the cover of one of their SUVs.

"Why don't they do something? Get it over with?" Wes demanded, his voice edgy.

"The longer this goes on, the more scared they're getting. Hopefully scared enough to give up."

Eric fell silent, listening to the buzz of conversation in his headset. The police still had the men inside the bank on the telephone, negotiating, as they had been for the last two hours. Patience did not come naturally to him, and the situation was starting to strain his nerves as much as they were obviously doing to Wes's, but there was no way around it. In a case like this, as long as the criminals kept talking there was a chance they would surrender peacefully. He kept his eyes on the building as several more minutes passed with nothing happening.

"Damn it, how much longer?" Wes was beginning to sound almost desperate.

Eric frowned. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he demanded. "Can't rush a situation like this, you know that."

"Yeah, I know, but..." Wes grimaced. "Eric - that was the call."

"What damn call?" he asked impatiently. "What's more important than a bank robbery and a dozen hostages?"

"The _call_, Eric! Jen! The baby!"

"The- Oh." Startled, Eric met Wes's anxious blue eyes. "Man, that kid chose a fine time to get born."

"Eric..."

"Look, I can handle this. Go."

"Wish I could." Wes's expression warmed into a brief smile. "Thanks, but I can't leave, not with lives at stake."

Unfortunately, he was right. The police had asked for them because of their special abilities, because they might be able to end this standoff without anyone, including themselves, getting killed. Much as Eric would have liked to tell Wes he wasn't needed, with twelve innocent victims involved they couldn't take the chance.

He dropped a hand on Wes's shoulder as his gaze returned to the building across the street. "Don't worry," he said. "Your dad will take care of Jen. She'll be fine."

"Yeah, sure." Wes was quiet for a moment. "Maybe we could get in through the roof. Surprise them."

Eric shook his head. "Too many alarms, we'd probably set one off."

"Yeah. Damn. Are the police making any progress yet, talking them into giving up?"

"Hold on..." Eric raised a hand, pressing it over his headset as a voice broke through the background of commands, information, and responses from the other Silver Guardians posted in the area that he had been half-listening to. After a moment he glanced at his partner again. Wes, as usual, wasn't wearing his own headset. "The perps just got off the phone. Said they're coming out, with hostages. They demand safe passage to their car, and then they'll let everyone go."

"I asked for something to happen..." Wes muttered, obviously mostly to himself. "Got my wish. I'm suiting up. Just in case."

Eric nodded. They both raised their arms, and a few seconds and a double flash of light later they were both in their red Ranger suits.

"I think I'm going to take your suggestion," Eric said softly. He nodded at the bank roof. "From the roof I can watch without them seeing. Catch them from behind if they try anything."

"Okay. I'll get out where they can see me. Distract them a little. Who knows, maybe knowing a Ranger's here will encourage them to give up."

"Or push them over the edge. Don't get too close."

"I won't. You'd better hurry."

Crouching to stay behind the cover of the cars lining his side of the street, Eric moved to the end of the block as quickly as he could. Then a dash across the street. The bank door was starting to open, but no one had appeared yet. It would take them at least a few more seconds to come out; with the hostages to keep under control they couldn't move very fast.

Once around the corner and out of sight, Eric broke into a run and jumped lightly onto the hood of the biggest car he saw, a small truck parked nearby. It was only a long step onto the top of the cab and from there he leaped to the building roof. Moving as silently as he could, he ran back to the front of the bank, knelt and then flattened on the surface, and peered cautiously over the edge.

The bank robbers were out: two men in ski masks, both armed with pistols. They had brought four of the hostages with them, two women, an elderly man, and a boy who looked no older than twelve or thirteen. They had picked the ones they thought were least likely to give them trouble. The criminals were in the center of the small group, each holding a woman in front of himself.

Wes was standing in front of the line of cars across the street, arms folded, watching silently, but the tension in his body showing how much he hated not being able to do anything. Eric could see the police and his own Silver Guardians too, in their positions behind their cars, guns aimed but helpless as long as innocent people were in the way.

There was almost complete silence as the robbers and their human shields moved in formation almost to the end of the block and stopped next to a dark blue car. They shifted positions. One of the armed men reached past the woman he was holding and opened the door. The other pushed his own captive, a young woman with shoulder-length red hair, towards the vehicle.

"Hey!" Wes called, his voice sharp. "You said you'd let the hostages go!"

"We're taking her with us, just for insurance!" one of the men replied. He grabbed the young woman tighter, an arm around her waist while he pressed his gun to her head.

"That wasn't the deal!" Another voice shouted from the crowd of police. "Let her go _now_!"

There was no response. Eric drew his Quantum Defender and rose to a crouch, ready to act. It couldn't be a coincidence that they had picked a young, pretty woman to take with them. Couldn't let them have her... If he could just get an opening...

Then it all began to happen. The woman twisted, struggling, and then sagged towards the ground, almost slipping out of her captor's grip. He grabbed at her with both hands, the gun no longer pointed at her head. The other thief, who was halfway into the car, stopped and began to turn back. One of the other hostages broke and ran; the rest began to back off uncertainly.

Eric saw his chance, and took it. He fired, hitting the man in the car, seeing him jerk reflexively and then collapse, then aimed for the other one - but Wes was already in action, vaulting to the top of the car and then leaping. A shot rang out and the bullet bounced harmlessly from his shoulder as he landed on the remaining criminal, knocked him to the ground, pinned him there and tossed the gun away.

By the time Eric leaped down and reached them, the mob of cops and Guardians had the two thieves surrounded. Wes was on his feet and helping the young woman up. The other hostages were all frightened but unharmed.

"You okay?" Eric asked as he holstered his weapon.

"Yeah. Power down." Wes reappeared in his Guardian uniform and took another look around the scene as Eric also transformed back. "Looks like everything's under control."

"So get going. Take the car; I'll grab a ride with the guys."

"Thanks, Eric. See you later!" Wes headed for the SUV they had both arrived in - and stopped as the woman he had just rescued stepped into his path. "Excuse me..." he said, starting to go around her.

She smiled up at him, her face becomingly flushed and eyes bright with admiration. "You were wonderful," she said. "I just want to say thanks. You saved my life."

"Glad to help." With the flash of a quick grin at her, he was on his way at a run.

She watched him go, and then turned around, spotted Eric, and headed his way. Probably wanted to thank him too, of course. Eric smiled, preparing a suitably modest reply.

"That was Wesley Collins, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Uh... yeah."

"He's even better-looking than his pictures... Why's he running off so fast? Where's he going?"

"His wife's having a baby right about now," Eric answered, annoyed enough at having his own role in her rescue ignored to hope she was disappointed.

"I see." She looked more thoughtful than anything else. "Interesting... How much longer do I have to stay here?"

"The police will need a statement, and they may want a doctor to look at you."

"I'm not hurt."

"Sometimes people go into shock after an experience like this, Miss...?"

"Tutto. Christina Tutto." Her eyes turned in the direction Wes had driven. A small, quietly confident smile crossed her face. "And I have more important things to do than go into shock."

- - -

"Hi, honey."

"Mmmm..." Jen blinked a few more times to clear her vision, until the image of Wes's face smiling down at her solidified and steadied. She smiled back blearily. "Hi yourself."

"How do you feel?"

"Like I just had a baby..."

"Yeah, I guess you would. Dad says hello, and he'll visit a little later. I think he just can't tear himself away from staring at his grandson through the nursery window."

"You should have seen him on the way to the hospital. I've never seen him get nervous before."

"Good thing it was him instead of me. I probably would have panicked and forgotten to take you along." He ducked his head a little. "Sorry I was late."

"You got there for the best part." Jen giggled softly. "Gotta say, I've never seen anyone turn that shade of green before."

"Yeah, it was... Well." Wes looked queasy again for a moment, and then turned it into a smile as he took her hand. "You weren't exactly having a picnic there, after all."

"Not something I'd want to do every day." But the memory of hours of pain was already fading. There was so much else to think about, now, a whole new person to think about. "It was worth it," she said. "Did you see him?"

"Of course I saw him. They even let me hold him for a minute."

"Yeah..." she sighed. "When they gave him to me... Oh, it was all worth it."

"And he's a strong little guy. The doctors couldn't get over the way he didn't even cry."

She frowned a little. "That doesn't mean there's anything wrong, does it?"

"No, of course not. They said he's very healthy."

"Still, it's unusual for a baby not to cry. And..."

"What?"

"Well... I know this is silly, but... when they let me hold him, I could swear he was looking at me. I mean, looking right at me."

"He kind of did the same thing with me. But you know a newborn baby can't see clearly. He must have just been reacting to the sound of our voices."

"I guess you're right." Jen smiled again. No point in mentioning what she had felt, looking into her child's little blue eyes - that she had seemed to see something strange, an awareness and intelligence sharper than any infant should have, something - something _adult_ was the only way she could describe it. She had been exhausted; it was only her imagination, of course. What else could it be, after all?

"He's a beautiful, healthy baby. You did good, honey." Wes's voice soothed her as she closed her eyes, feeling his lips touch her forehead as she sank back into sleep.

- - -

"_I'm sure, Wendy. Proteus is not here." Trix smiled down at the sight of mother and baby in the bed, here in a small but private hospital room in the Silver Hills of 2006. _

"_She's okay? My baby is normal?" Wendy raised her face to them, radiant with happiness. _

"_She's better than okay. She's a beautiful, healthy baby." Jon smiled down at his wife. _

"_Thank you, Trix. All of you." _

_Lucie nodded from the other side of the bed. Kevin grinned, his eyes on the child. Trix began to put away the brain-pattern reading equipment she had used to test the baby. She hadn't really needed it; she had sensed immediately that Proteus was not inside the small body that Wendy held in her arms. To tell the truth, she had suspected it during the entire pregnancy, but hadn't been sure until after the birth. _

_It had seemed that there was no other explanation for Proteus' disappearance. They had discreetly investigated his younger, still-human self in this time period, and found him showing no signs of any abnormality beyond the beginnings of the mind-control abilities he would develop so strongly later on. Too bad they were forbidden to interfere with the past by doing something now to eliminate him as a future threat... In any case, if Proteus had traveled through time to find his original body, he had apparently not accomplished his goal. _

_Five minutes later they said their goodbyes, after a nurse had taken the baby back to the hospital nursery and it became obvious that Wendy was tired and needed to rest. The three of them waited in the corridor as Jon stayed to say goodbye to his wife and then joined them. _

"_You have a beautiful daughter, Jon," Kevin said. _

"_Thanks. Yes, she is, isn't she?" He gave them a tired but happy smile. "I don't have to tell you what a relief this is. All these months, waiting and wondering, not knowing if our baby would be - herself - or taken over by that creature... Do you think he found another host? That he didn't want to wait for her to be born, and moved into someone else?" _

_Trix shrugged. "I - I can't prove anything, but I never sensed him in Wendy. I don't think he was ever there. He never came near your baby." _

"_I hope you're right; the idea of him gives me the creeps. But as long as he's gone, I guess it doesn't matter now." _

"_No, it doesn't," Kevin said. "Your family has a bright future ahead. Do you have a name for her yet?" _

"_We've kind of had other things on our minds... No, we haven't decided yet." _

_They fell into a brief silence, smiles fading as they looked at each other. Finally Jon said it. "But then... where did Proteus go? What does he want in this time and place?" _

"_About all we know is that he escaped when that Time Force guard fell asleep on the job, and gave Proteus his chance to take control," Lucie admitted. "Why did he come here? Where did he go when he left the guard? How did he just disappear like that? We don't know." _

"_Yes. Where is he?" Trix asked softly, although she already suspected the answer, and could see the same suspicion in her teammates' eyes._

"_Where is he...?"_ Trip wasn't sure if he had actually said it aloud as his eyes snapped open in the dim light of early dawn, in his own bedroom. "_Where is he?"_ The question seemed to echo in his mind with an urgency that brought him wide awake and sitting up. He shook his head, trying to dispel the other world he had seemed to be a part of only a moment ago.

Another dream, as vivid as the first had been. Or was it? But how could it be anything else? There was no evidence, no logic to it, no way he could explain it to anyone, and yet, suddenly he was sure. This was much more than a dream.

TBC...


	3. Home Again

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Home Again

- - -

"_Wes, your twelve o'clock is here."_

Wes frowned at his office speakerphone. "I have an appointment? Now?"

"_Yes, she called yesterday, and you didn't have anything on your calendar. Sorry if it's a bad time. Should I tell her to reschedule?"_

"No." Wes sighed. It wasn't the fault of the Bio-Lab receptionist who took care of office appointments for himself and Eric that he had forgotten to update his calendar in all the excitement and activity of the last two days since the baby had been born. "I'll have to make it short, but send her in."

Her face was familiar when he looked up a minute later to see a pretty young woman with dark red hair tapping on his open door, but it took him a moment to place her. The same woman he had last seen as a hostage two days ago. Surprised, he stood and beckoned her in. "Hello again, uh..."

"We were never introduced, were we? Hi, I'm Christina Tutto." She came forward and shook his hand over the desk.

"Nice to see you. Have a seat." Back in his own chair, he smiled inquiringly. "Is there some kind of problem having to do with the bank robbery?"

"No, nothing like that, except that I'd like to thank you again."

He waved a hand. "No need, Ms. Tutto."

"Please, call me Chris. You risk your life all the time to help people, and I'll bet not enough of them bother to say thank you, so I wanted to do it twice."

"Well... That's very kind of you, Ms - I mean Chris. Is that the only reason you came by?"

"Not the only reason." She settled into the chair more comfortably and crossed her legs. "I hear you're a new father."

"Well, yes. Has it been in the news? How'd you know?"

She smiled, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs. They were very nice legs, he couldn't help noticing. "I wouldn't have been surprised if it was on the news; you're pretty famous here in Silver Hills. But no, your friend, the other Ranger, told me when you rushed off after saving me."

"Yes, I was kind of in a hurry. Sorry if I was rude."

"Not at all." She smiled and leaned forward. "I have a lot of experience with parents. In fact, that's why I'm here."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm a child therapist, specializing in developmental and behavioral problems. I'm sure your baby is perfect, but if you ever need any testing done, or just want a little advice..."

"A therapist? He's only two days old."

Chris laughed. "I know it seems very early, but there are tests that can be done even on small babies, and in my opinion it's worth while just to make sure. Maybe I could do an evaluation for you, on the house. My way of saying thanks."

"Well... I'll think about it. Maybe mention it to my wife."

"Good!" She smiled brightly and opened her purse. "Here's my card, and my private number too. Call anytime."

"Thanks for the offer." Wes took it, stood, and came around the desk. He opened the door for her and shook hands again. "And thanks for coming by."

"My pleasure." She turned in the doorway. "As long as I'm here... Will you let me take you to lunch? As another thank you for saving me?"

"Well, that sounds great, but I can't. In fact I'm on my way to the hospital."

"Nothing wrong, I hope?"

"Nope." He grinned happily. I'm taking my wife and our new baby home."

"Oh." Her eyes dropped, just for an instant, covering what had seemed for an instant like disappointment or even annoyance - but the expression was gone in a flash, and she was smiling up at him again. "That's wonderful. You must be very happy."

"Yeah, I am." Wes blinked at her. She had the most remarkably brilliant hazel eyes... quite fascinating, really, the way they sparkled...

"So I guess this is goodbye for now." Chris had stepped closer, and taken both his hands in hers. Their gazes locked together. "But you will call and make an appointment to come and see me soon, won't you?"

"Uh..." Strange that he hadn't noticed before just how beautiful she really was. Amazingly beautiful... "All right. Soon," he said a little breathlessly.

"Wes?"

Startled, he looked around to find Gaby standing in the hallway, staring at the two of them curiously. He took a step back and nodded to Chris, who had returned to looking like any other attractive young woman. That sudden feeling of being drawn to her must have been his imagination; he hadn't been sleeping much lately, after all, and he certainly wouldn't be thinking that way about any woman but Jen, especially now. "Okay, I'll call if we decide to come in, then."

"Thanks. Goodbye for now." Chris turned and headed down the hall towards the exit.

"Wow, she looked like she wanted to shoot me for interrupting. Who was that?"

"She was a hostage in that bank robbery. Wanted to thank me."

"I'd say that's not all she wants," she said with a smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"She was totally flirting with you, dummy."

Wes shook his head and smiled. "Was there something you wanted, Gaby?"

"Eric said you're taking Jen and the baby home today."

"That's right."

"Oh, good. Make sure to say hello to her for me. I can't wait to see the baby."

"Come by the house with Eric, then. Maybe you can come for dinner in a few days, when we're settled."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'll tell Dad." He glanced at his watch. "Gotta go. See you later!"

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005_**

"Another dream, Trip?" Katie asked as she sat down at his table in the Time Force break room.

"How did you know?" Trip stared at her.

"Not by reading your mind, don't worry." She leaned across the small table on her elbows. "You look tired, like you haven't been sleeping. And you look worried."

"I _am_ worried. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Tell me."

"Yeah, I had-" He stopped and looked up as the door opened again.

Lucas appeared, frowned, and walked over to them. "You know you dragged me off the practice range," he said by way of greeting as he dropped into another chair. "This better be important."

"I - I think it is..." Trip stammered. "I was just about to tell Katie; I had another dream."

"Another dream?" Lucas rolled his eyes.

Katie glared. "You know Trip's dreams may be visions of something real. Let him talk."

"Okay." He sighed. "As long as you got me here... Go on and tell us about your _dream_." Lucas faced him with arms crossed and an exaggeratedly interested expression.

"Well, I told you about the first two, that they were in that parallel universe Jen and Wes and Eric were in about seven months ago."

"Yeah, I remember." Lucas's tone was still impatient, but there was a gleam of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "You mean you had number three in the continuing drama of Lucie, Kevin, and Trix?"

"Don't forget Jon, Wendy, and Erica," Katie said.

Lucas leaned back with a grin. "I bet I make a pretty good-looking woman."

"And such a modest one, too," Katie muttered, but softened it with a chuckle.

Lucas gave her a scowl and said, "Well, get on with it."

"Okay. This one was a little later, probably a day or two, since Wendy and the baby were just getting home..."

"_She's lovely, ma'am. It's been too long since there was a baby in this house." _

_Trix watched with a smile. The elderly housekeeper, Miss Philips, spent another moment gazing fondly at the child in Wendy's arms, and then led all of them towards the front door of the Collins mansion. Both Jon and Mrs. Collins hovered anxiously as Wendy politely turned down offers of help and carried the baby inside. More servants awaited, and there were several minutes of greetings, exclamations, baby talk, and general confusion. _

"_Geez. You'd think the kid was the second coming." The cynical remark came from Erica, who had been last through the door. _

"_Lighten up," Kevin murmured. "Don't you like babies?" _

"_Do I _like _the little diaper-fillers? Not particularly." _

"_Wait till you have one of your own." _

"_God forbid. And if Gabe wants one he's going to have to carry it himself." _

"_Maybe you're right. The world's not ready for another Erica Myers." _

_Trix put a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. Even Lucie was chuckling as Erica gave them a scowl and left, saying she was headed back to Bio-Lab. They returned their attention to the happy family as Mrs. Collins took charge and the servants began to drift away. _

_Miss Philips paused and looked back at them. "Will all of you be staying to dinner?" she asked. _

"_No," Lucie answered for them before Jon could say anything. "In fact, the three of us will be leaving. Time for us to go home." _

"_Oh, too bad." Jon hesitated. "We should take the baby to her room. Will you come upstairs for a few minutes? We need to talk." _

_They all took a few seconds to look around as they entered the nursery, a bright, comfortable place, freshly painted, cleaned, and decorated in shades of pastel rose. Trix watched Wendy carefully put her daughter down in the crib at the center of the room, and moved to her side. _

_Wendy glanced at her and smiled. "It's been wonderful having you here again, despite the circumstances," she said. "I wish you could stay longer." _

_Lucie's voice came from behind them. "We'd like to, but we still have a job to take care of." _

"_Yes." Jon sighed on the other side of the crib. "You have to find Proteus. But shouldn't you stay here to look for him?" _

_Trix shook her head. "He's not here." _

"_How can you be sure?" _

"_When we were chasing that Time Force guard, and Proteus left his body, I could feel him. Then, just before we saw you, he just... disappeared. He was gone. At first I thought he had gone into you, Wendy, or your baby, but we know now he didn't. Even if he had, I think I could have still felt him." _

_There was a brief silence, broken by Jon's low voice. "So there's only one logical answer." _

"_Yes. The three duplicates of you." _

"_Wes, Jen, and Eric. We were saying goodbye to them just before you showed up." _

"_That was the light we saw, the - the dimension-hole you said they used to go back to their own universe. That was when Proteus disappeared." _

"_You don't suppose my duplicate, Jen, could have been pregnant?" _

"_You said almost everything seemed to be the same in their world, just like ours but with everyone the opposite sex. Wendy was pregnant then. It makes sense that Jen was too." _

"_Damn." Jon took a deep breath. "So Proteus may have possessed Jen's baby, like we thought he did with ours, and escaped into their dimension. What can we do?" _

_Kevin spoke into the silence this time. "We don't have dimension-traveling technology. Maybe there's nothing we can do." _

_Trix smiled grimly. "The three of us have to go home first, back to our own time. Then - I have an idea. Maybe we can at least warn them."_

"And then - then I woke up," Trip finished. He looked anxiously at Katie, and then at Lucas.

They both stared back. Finally Lucas said, "So - you think the dreams are Trix's way of warning us?"

"Yes! Yes, she found some way to send her memories to me, only when I'm asleep, and it makes sense, you know, we're really the same person, and our - our minds are sort of in tune, I guess, I mean besides us having the power to sense stuff, and remember how the dimension transfers were off then when we tried to bring Wes, Jen, and Eric back to our dimension, and we thought it was Jen's baby, but the technicians couldn't get it adjusted right and it must have been because it wasn't just the baby, it was Proteus too-"

"Whoa, Trip, slow down." Katie smiled for a moment in amusement before her expression became serious again. "Even if your dreams are a warning, what can we do about it?"

"She's right," Lucas said. "We're in 3005, and even if you're right about this Proteus character, he's in the year 2006. Maybe he was a known mutant in that other dimension, but he isn't in ours. We don't know anything about him; we don't know how to scan for him or what to do if we find him, even if Time Force was willing to let us go back to look for him."

"Yeah, I guess." Trip paused for a moment to think, and then smiled. "But I have an idea too. Maybe the same one Trix had."

- - -

**_Silver Hills, 2006_**

"What a lovely child. It's been too long since there was a baby in this house."

"Thank you, Philips." Jen smiled at the fond expression on the elderly butler's face as he looked at the child in her arms. Then, politely declining Wes's and Mr. Collins' offers of help, she followed him towards the front door as the two of them hovered and Eric, who had showed up unexpectedly at the hospital, brought up the rear of the little parade.

Inside, what looked like a small gauntlet of servants waited to greet her and exclaim admiringly over the baby, who seemed to be taking it with surprising calmness. Exactly the way he seemed to react to everything - no crying, except for the occasional single demanding yell that wasn't even a normal-sounding cry, when he was hungry or needed changing. None of the curiosity or incomprehension you'd expect from an infant experiencing the world for the first time, either, just that cool and considering _look_, as if he'd seen it all before.

Impatiently, she shook off the thought. Just the misgivings of a new mother. It must be.

It was a relief to be distracted by Eric's voice muttering, "Geez, you'd think the kid was the second coming."

"What's the matter, Eric?" Wes asked with a grin. "Don't you like babies?"

"All they do is scream and fill diapers. No, not particularly."

"Wait till you have one of your own," Mr. Collins said. "You'll change your mind."

"God forbid. And don't go giving Gaby any ideas." Eric turned back to the door. "Well, I'm heading back to Bio-Lab. _Someone's_ got to keep the place running."

To Jen's relief, Mr. Collins took charge, dispersed the crowd, and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen with Philips. She smiled at Wes as relative peace descended. "Let's go upstairs," she said. "Is the nursery all finished?"

"Sure is." He grinned. "They did the painting as soon as Junior was born and they knew what color to use."

She smiled. "Remember all the complaining about us not finding out in advance if he was a boy or a girl?"

"Yep. But I'm glad we waited."

"Me too."

Upstairs, Jen walked into a room that was freshly cleaned and decorated, and painted in cool shades of pastel blue. She took a moment to look around, and then went to the crib and carefully lowered the baby into it.

"Welcome home, little guy," Wes said softly, leaning over his son and offering a finger for him to grab. The child stared up at them, ignoring it. Jen saw Wes's brows crease slightly as he said, "I guess he's tired."

"I guess."

"You probably are too. Want to go lie down?"

"No, I'm okay." The baby was still lying there quietly, watching them with that disconcerting concentration.

"We really have to decide on a name soon. Can't keep calling him 'Junior'."

"We will. Soon." She looked down into the crib, feeling an odd reluctance. Strange that she was having so much trouble even thinking about a name. It had gotten to the point that she had refused to decide, and let them put 'Junior' on the birth certificate as a temporary name, which they would legally change later. A lot of trouble to go through because of indecision - but somehow it wouldn't have felt right to give him a name. She felt a chill, seeing those infant eyes stare back into hers with their hint of something very un-childlike. It was as if she would be naming the wrong person. As if this wasn't really her baby.

- - -

TBC...


	4. In Your Dreams

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

In Your Dreams

- - -

"Hon? I'm leaving."

"Hmm? Oh. See you later." Jen kept on combing her hair mechanically, not really aware that Wes was still in their room until he spoke again.

"Are you okay?"

The tone of worry finally penetrated the haze that seemed to have settled over her in the last week. With an effort, she turned on her chair in front of the vanity mirror and smiled up at him. "Of course I'm okay. A little - a little tired of staying home all the time, maybe."

He smiled eagerly. "You can go back to work as soon as you feel up to it. Not like we don't have a houseful of people to take care of the baby."

"But I'm his mother." She turned back to the mirror, but her hand with the comb, and her gaze, sank dejectedly into her lap. "I should stay with him for at least three months, like we decided. Bonding. Like the doctor said."

"Hey..." Wes pulled up another chair and sat, his hand rising to gently stroke the side of her face and brush back her hair. "If you don't want to stay home, don't. You could work part-time for awhile. I could take more time off myself. A father needs to do some bonding too."

"Maybe." She didn't even have the energy to argue. Certainly she had no will to tell him that fatigue or boredom weren't the real problem.

"Well... think about it. Let me know. We'll do whatever you want." Wes leaned forward to kiss her.

She responded as best she could, and smiled, and tried not to notice the worried look he cast back at her from the doorway. She tried not to look at the clock, and not to dread the single, summoning cry she knew she would soon hear from the nursery if she didn't go in for Junior's feeding. She tried not to shudder at the thought of him at her breast, those eyes staring up at her, watching her in that cold, inhuman way.

"Oh God..." she moaned, quietly so no one would hear. How could she be thinking about an innocent child like that? "What's _wrong_ with me...?"

- - -

Wes hesitated before he silently pushed the nursery door open and looked in. As he had expected, Junior was awake, lying in his crib looking up at the mobile suspended over him. Not moving around, not sleeping, not crying. Just looking. Abruptly the child's eyes turned to him. No reaction, no waving arms, no expression. Just watching, the way an adult would watch, not a baby. The whole thing, the way the kid _looked_ at you, as if he could see right through you... it was starting to be - creepy.

No way he could tell Jen he suspected something was wrong with their baby. No, she had gone through so much in her life, it couldn't be true. All the usual tests had been done at the hospital. No problems with vision or hearing. Junior was alert and responsive and equipped with a full set of reflexes. They said he was a normal, healthy baby, no signs of anything wrong. Nothing except that he just didn't _act_ like a normal baby.

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005_**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Katie asked, for the third time.

"Sure I'm sure. Nothing to it." Trip smiled up at her from the cot he was lying on, hoping his nervousness didn't show.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?"

"Yes. Easier for me to concentrate if I'm alone."

"Okay." She bent far enough to pat his shoulder, and looked up at the technician who was waiting by the bed. "Take care of him, okay?"

"This really isn't a dangerous procedure," the man said. "Just a sleep-inducing field, combined with brain activity amplification. We use it all the time to enhance telepathic communication."

"Yeah, but on experienced professional telepaths. And we don't know for sure who he'll be communicating with. Just be careful."

"We'll be monitoring him. If anything goes wrong we'll pull him out."

"Don't worry, Katie," Trip said. "I'm ready."

"I'll be in the next room if you need me."

"I know, Katie."

"Just call if you need me."

"See you later, Katie."

The technician was looking amused as he swung a ring of electrodes and field projectors over Trip's head. It clicked into place. Then the door closed behind him and Katie, and Trip was alone. He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, and wondered how long this would take, and whether he would feel anything when they activated the machinery...

_He blinked and looked up. Trip was standing in his bathroom, splashing cold water on his face and letting the sensation chase the last traces of drowsiness from his mind. A moment later he was drying off - closing his eyes as the towel absorbed the moisture, feeling a little scratchy against his skin. Opening them again, he looked into the mirror. A woman's face looked back, a round face framed with green hair, his own face in female form. As he stared in surprise, she smiled. _

_They were in a room. Slowly a light brightened above them, until he could see the table at which they were sitting, facing each other. She smiled again, her eyes warm. With a quick glance around, he recognized where they were, in the same Time Force break room where he had told Katie and Lucas about his dream. Then he returned his attention to his feminine mirror image. _

"_You're Trip," she said. _

"_You must be Trix." _

"_Yes." Her smile intensified. "I was hoping you'd think of using a telepathic enhancer, and that we'd both be using it at the same time. I had a feeling you would, though, since our worlds are so parallel. Wow, it's great to finally meet you face to face, sort of, instead of just trying to get into your dreams." _

_He was grinning too, now. "Yeah, wow! Man, you look just like me." _

"_I _am _you. But this is pretty weird for me, too. I guess you figured out from the dreams that I was trying to tell you about Proteus?" _

"_Yeah. I got that he's some kind of bodiless, mind-controlling mutant - and he - he possessed Jen and Wes's baby, when they were in your dimension." _

_Her expression was serious now. "That's right." _

"_What else can you tell me about him?" _

"_I'm not sure how much you got from the dreams. Proteus started out as a normal, or almost normal, human being who lived in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. In 2006, he would have been about the same age as Jon and Wendy - or Jen and Wes, in your world. We have evidence that he had the ability to influence other people mentally, but it wasn't very strong at that time. He may not have even known he was a mutant. _

"_His powers didn't become obvious until he died - and his mind survived, outside his body. He - he can get inside other people - adults if they're asleep, or unconscious - or if they agree and let him in. But an adult mind can fight him. He found out pretty quickly that he can control small children, or babies, completely. So that's what he usually does. Stays in them until they get old, or sick, or he decides he wants someone new." _

"_And after he leaves one of those kids?" Trip asked, feeling slightly sick. "What happens to them?" _

"_If he's controlled them for years, they've never really lived, never had a chance to develop mentally. He'll leave an adult body with the mind of a baby. Their lives are destroyed." _

"_That's - that's horrible." Trip looked up in alarm. "And that's what you think he's going to do to Jen and Wes's baby?" _

"_If we can't stop him." _

"_What can we do?" _

_She leaned forward. "If we can find him - we have a weapon that can capture him, even if he's inside someone, and put him in a temporary containment field. We can bring him here where our Time Force can put him back in prison. If we can do it soon, the baby should be all right." _

"_But - how?" _

"_My Time Force has a weapon that can stop Proteus. Your Time Force has the technology for dimensional travel. Can you bring us there?" _

"_I... I guess we could... Yeah, I'm sure we could!" _

"_So we could shift to your dimension-" _

"_-and all of us can go after Proteus in 2006-" _

"_-and bring him back to our universe-" _

"_-and save Jen and Wes's baby!" Trip sat back with a grin. "I'll have to convince Captain Logan and Alex. But I think I can at least get them to look into it, and if you're right we should find some evidence in the timestream and maybe our records of the dimensional experiment." _

_She matched his grin. "Yeah! We can do this! Can't wait to really meet you!" _

"_Me either! And Kevin and Lucie!" _

"_Yeah." Her smile turned almost shy. "So I guess I'll be seeing you soon, I hope." _

_He nodded, and then, "One more question... Does Proteus exist in our world?" _

"_Everyone else does. He should too." _

"_I never heard of him. We don't know anything about him." _

_She frowned slightly. "That's kind of strange... Not all the same things happened in our two worlds, but it seemed like the people are all duplicated. Don't know why this would be different." _

"_Maybe we can try to find him - the original Proteus - when we go back to 2006." _

"_Maybe. But remember we can't interfere with the past, unless he's involved in this somehow. And remember..." The light was dimming slowly. Her face and voice were fading. Trip leaned forward to catch her last words, even as the reality of the lab room he knew he was really lying in began to swim back into his consciousness. "In your universe - Proteus is a woman."_

- - -

**_Silver Hills, 2006_**

Chris Tutto glanced at the clock again. Her next appointment was late. She got up and paced to the window of the apartment room she used as an office, looking out at the street briefly. Better face it; they probably weren't coming, leaving her to wonder whether Mr. Parkinson had caught on that his daughter's very expensive treatment would never produce a permanent cure - or if Mrs. Parkinson had caught on that her husband was getting more than professional services.

Her lip curled. Too bad. She had done well here in Silver Hills, helping the troubled children of the wealthy - and helping herself too, of course - and the loss of one patient wasn't going to stop her. With her talent for influencing people, especially children, there were always more prospects. Like the one luck had thrown in her path a little over a week ago, in the very attractive form of Wesley Collins - a rich family, a first child, a good-looking young father... Everything she could want in a client. New parents always had problems, or at least there was always something she could convince them they needed help with.

But he hadn't called after her visit to Bio-Lab. How to get to him again without seeming obvious or desperate? There was always a way... and there might be one now. At first, when she had been called to testify in the indictment hearing against the bank robbers who had taken her hostage, she had thought of it as an inconvenience - but over a lifetime of living by her wits she had learned how to turn such things to her advantage, and this might be no exception. On impulse, she crossed the room, picked up the telephone, found the number she had used before, and dialed it.

"_Silver Guardians HQ, this is Leslie, how may I help you?"_

"Yes - I'm calling from the county criminal courthouse. I'd like to confirm that Wesley Collins is scheduled to testify for the grand jury on Wednesday."

"_I'll check..." There was a short pause, and then, "Yes, a court date is in his calendar. Eleven o'clock Wednesday morning."_

"Good. Thank you so much. Goodbye."

Chris smiled as she lowered the phone. Her own appointment was for later - but she'd make sure she showed up in plenty of time to 'accidentally' bump into Wes. She had no intention of letting him get away - not without a struggle - not when he had so much to offer - and not when getting her hands on it would be such a pleasure.

- - -

"Ohhh, isn't he cuuute?" Gaby leaned over the crib with another couple of equally ecstatic exclamations as Eric rolled his eyes. "And he's such a good baby! Can I pick him up?"

"Go ahead," Jen said from the nursery doorway.

"Be sure to support his head," Wes said anxiously.

"I know; I used to do a lot of baby-sitting. Helped raise my little cousins." Carefully, Gaby reached down and lifted the child. With him cradled in one arm, she picked up a rattle and shook it a few inches from his face. "Hi there! Hi, cutie!" she crooned.

"If you start with the baby talk, I'm gonna puke," Eric muttered, just loudly enough to be heard.

"Oh, cut it out. How can you talk like that in front of an innocent little baby? Aw, don't worry, sweetie, Auntie Gaby's not mad at _you_..."

"He doesn't look very worried," Eric remarked dryly.

"He doesn't, does he?" The baby watched her steadily as she jiggled him gently and shook the rattle again.

"What do you think?" Wes asked, a hint of anxiety in his tone. "I mean... shouldn't he be - I don't know, more playful or something?"

"Well, every baby's different." Gaby hesitated just a little. "Most kids would react to anything moving close to them like this, but maybe he's..."

"Hey, there he goes!" Wes exclaimed. The baby had shifted his attention to the rattle, reaching a hand towards it, as if on cue. "Jen, look!"

"I see. That's great." Jen was still standing a few steps back. Her smile looked a little forced.

"_Such_ a good baby! Aren't you? Aren't you? Yes, you are!"

Eric snorted. "Watch out, this time _he's_ about to puke." He frowned. The child did look - impatient. Or annoyed. Or something.

"Let's go downstairs. Dinner's waiting," Jen said.

Reluctantly, Gaby lowered the baby back into the crib and lingered for a moment. "I hope he doesn't cry. Some babies hate to be put down."

"Don't worry; he won't cry. He never does." Jen smiled a little more naturally as she took Wes's hand. "Shall we?"

"Cute kid," Gaby said softly as they started down the staircase after Wes and Jen.

"Don't get ideas," Eric muttered.

"Don't worry. At least not for another year or two..." Gaby laughed at his expression. "All I have to do is remember what your baby would probably be like. Crying all the time - throwing things - grabbing at everything he sees..."

"My kind of kid. This one is..." He paused. "I dunno. He's so quiet. And the way he looks at you - it's kinda weird, if you ask me."

To his surprise, instead of the denial or rebuke he expected, she frowned and lowered her voice. "I know what you mean."

"Yeah?" He stopped and tightened his grip on her hand. "You think something's - well - wrong with the kid?"

"I'm sure it's nothing. He's just a good, quiet baby."

"I hope so. But did you see the way Jen acted? She didn't even go near the crib."

"She's tired. You would be too, after being pregnant and giving birth." Gaby sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't have come over so soon."

"It's been a week. Besides, Jen's got to eat. It's not like she cooked dinner herself."

"I guess. And maybe she could use the company. Wes too, he looks a little down. Try to be nice, will you? Cheer them up?"

"When am I not nice?"

"Do you really want an answer to that?" But she giggled and rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

"Hey, are you two coming or should we start without you?" Wes had come back to the foot of the stairs and was smiling up at them.

"On our way." Eric led Gaby down to join his friend and partner. In the interest of niceness, he even offered a smile and dropped a hand on Wes's shoulder as they started into the dining room, and resolved to ignore the unease that still nagged at him.

- - -

TBC...


	5. Resolutions

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Resolutions

- - -

"Okay... We've got Robertson and Flores on the Jenkins Hardware robbery. Harston with the cops on the teller machine assaults. Steve's coordinating coverage at the mall and Blyblock and Lowenstein are at the airport."

"Right." Wes, leaning with elbows on knees as they sat next to each other on a hard, uncomfortable courthouse bench, didn't look up as Eric tucked the handheld with his notes on current assignments into his uniform pocket.

"We'll be tied up here for a while, I guess."

"Yeah."

"Hearings and trials are always such a pain in the butt."

"Yeah."

"Not like there weren't a few dozen cops there. Don't see why they need _us_ to testify against those bank robbers too."

"Uh huh."

"And the damn judges always keep you waiting."

"Right."

Eric had the distinct impression he was talking to himself. "I think we should ditch this whole thing, take off for Bermuda, and spend a month on the beach working on our tans. Who cares if that gang gets out and knocks off every bank in town? Not our problem."

"Yeah."

Eric raised a brow as his rare attempt at humor wasn't even noticed. "Wes, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Huh? Nothing."

"Cut the crap. You've been moping around like a teenaged girl who didn't get invited to the prom."

"Have I?" Finally Wes looked up and smiled a little, not enough to reach his eyes. "A lot's been going on. I guess I'm just tired."

"Baby waking you up five times a night?"

"Well... no." As the mention of his child only made Wes frown, Eric's concern deepened. "He never cries at night. Hardly ever cries at all, only when Jen's late to feed him or he needs changing, and even then it's just one yell and he's quiet again."

"Well - isn't that good?"

"I dunno..."

Eric hesitated, wondering if he really wanted to get involved in his partner's family problems. After all, there was probably nothing he could do, and Wes might not like being questioned, and it was none of his business anyway. Still... Telling himself that it was only that he couldn't afford a partner who didn't have his mind on the job, he went on. "Wes... Is everything okay with Jen?"

Wes's head bent over his hands again, and his voice was so low Eric had to lean towards him to hear the words. "Maybe she's just tired, too."

"I guess that must be it." Shrugging, Eric sat back. He had tried.

But Wes kept talking in a low and unhappy monotone. "Ever since the baby came... she's not the same. Hardly talks to me. Won't come near Junior unless she has to. Sits in her room all the time."

"Well... It's a big adjustment for her-"

"I know sometimes women get depressed when they have a baby." Wes's shoulders rose and fell in a sigh.

"Yeah, that must be it. Jen's a strong girl. She'll get over it."

"Maybe." The word lacked any confidence.

"Well... You could take her to a doctor."

"How am I supposed to tell her I think something's wrong with her? Besides... Besides, that's not all." Wes's hands were gripping each other tightly. "It's Junior. I think that's what's bothering Jen."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm worried about him. There just something - something _different_ about him. He's - he's not-" Wes hesitated as Eric wondered if it was the same indefinable thing he had seen for himself, the same thing that had disturbed Gaby.

"Well, hello, stranger!" Startled, they both looked up at the interruption to see a pretty young woman, deep red hair, expensively dressed, smiling down at them. "No, don't get up," she said cheerfully, and sat on Wes's other side. "I thought you might be here when I was summoned to testify. It's nice to see you again."

"Uh, nice to see you too." Wes waved a hand at Eric. "This is my partner, Eric Myers. Eric, Chris Tutto."

"Right, I remember. The hostage." Eric eyed her coolly. Despite her looks, something about her made him - uncomfortable, especially as she dismissed him with a quick glance and smiled warmly at Wes again. Strange, the sudden urge he felt to leave - must be the feeling he got that she wanted to be alone with Wes - which only strengthened his determination to stay, if only to annoy her.

"How's the new baby?" she asked.

"Well... things have been a little hectic."

"They usually are. This is a new experience for you, after all." She reached to put a hand over Wes's. "A baby can be a challenge, especially when it's your first."

"Yeah, he's a challenge, all right. A good one, most of the time, but..."

Wes wasn't looking at her, but Eric thought he saw a hint of calculation in Chris's expression as she said, "If you have any problems, or questions, or just need someone to talk to, I'd be glad to help."

"What kind of help?" Eric asked.

"Chris is a child therapist," Wes said. "She came by Bio-Lab last week and said if we had any problems we should give her a call."

"That's right. Just my way of saying thanks," Chris said, fixing Eric with an overly-bright smile before turning it on Wes again. "If there's anything you'd like to talk about, maybe we could have that lunch I owe you after we're done here."

Eric's eyes narrowed. "Wes is pretty tied up with Silver Guardians business," he said.

She gave him another glance, this time with an unmistakable flare of annoyance. "But I'm sure his family's welfare comes first," she said sweetly.

"Look, I'm sorry, Chris," Wes said, sliding his hand out from under hers. "I'm heading home after this."

"I see." She hid her disappointment under another smile, but Eric spotted it. "I understand. You still have my card, don't you?"

"Yes, I have it." Wes hesitated visibly. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a little advice. And maybe if you looked at the baby..."

"Anytime, anytime at all." Chris was leaning forward, her face filled with concern that somehow impressed Eric as insincere. She looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching. "And I think you're being called. Good luck in there."

"Watch out, Wes," Eric said very softly as they followed the court clerk who had summoned them.

"For what?"

"Chris. I know her type. I dunno if it's you or your father's money she wants a piece of. Maybe both."

"Don't you ever get tired of being cynical?" Wes grinned, a reassuringly familiar expression. "She's probably just the touchy-feely type."

"Yeah, right. I'm just wondering what she wants to touch and feel."

That got a laugh from Wes. "I did get around a little before Jen, you know. Even if you're right, I think I can defend myself." His expression sobered. "And maybe a specialist is what we need. Something's going on with Junior. Maybe Chris can help."

Eric nodded, and firmly told himself the worry he felt was foolish. He still thought Chris was a gold-digger, and a clever and persistent one without the morals to stay away from a married man. She might be prettier than most, but Wes loved Jen and it would take more than looks to turn his head. Or maybe he was wrong, and she sincerely wanted to help.

As for the baby... he frowned, frustrated with the knowledge that there was nothing he could do. Or maybe there was... Every instinct told him there was something wrong about Chris Tutto. If his best friend and his wife were going to trust her with their child - it couldn't hurt to find out more about her.

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005_**

"This is insane." Alex sat back in his office chair, his face with that hard, disapproving look that all of them were familiar with. The look that said he wasn't buying a word of what they were saying.

"I know it sounds crazy-" Trip started.

"Wes and Jen's baby, possessed by some bodiless, mind-controlling mutant from another dimension. And I'm supposed to believe this on the basis of your _dreams_?"

"Alex, would you _please_ just listen for a minute?" Katie burst out.

"Is that the way you talk to a superior officer?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry! But this is Wes and Jen's baby we're talking about and I'm a little upset!"

"Alex," Lucas said with his usual calm. "Just suppose for a minute that all this is true. That baby is important to history. And he's important in another way - remember, Wes is probably your distant ancestor. So is that kid. If something happens to him, well..."

"So if your theory is correct, I should have vanished into limbo, shouldn't I?"

"You know the timestream doesn't work that way. The effects could be unpredictable, and we may not have seen them yet."

"And there's - there's more than my dreams," Trip stammered. "There's scans of the dimensional transfers Wes and Jen went through - deeper analysis showed another life-force hidden in Jen's and the baby's. And - and there _is_ some disturbance of history - very slight, just hints, but - but..."

Alex stared at them for another moment, but the interested gleam in his eyes told Trip they had won their point. Finally he sat forward and reached out a hand. "Are those the scans? Okay. We'll see just what's going on here."

- - -

**_Silver Hills, 2006_**

Wes let himself in the front door, looked around the empty foyer, and then up the stairs. Jen would probably be up there, in their room, reading a book or sleeping. Or maybe just sitting and staring out the window, the way he had found her the last few days. On impulse, he headed for the living room instead, and to the bar. He was busy debating between wine or something stronger when he heard footsteps and looked up to see his father regarding him with a smile from the doorway.

"Drinking before dinner?"

"Tonight, yeah."

"I'll join you." Collins crossed the room. Wes noticed he had no trouble deciding on a shot of Scotch. In another couple of minutes they were settled on the sofas, drinks in hand.

"How's the baby?" he asked.

"The same, when I looked in on him."

"And Jen?"

"Also the same, as far as I know. I didn't get home much before you." Collins watched him moodily as he took a sip. "How was work?"

Wes smiled crookedly. It was almost amusing, the way the two of them were tiptoeing around what was probably bothering them both, each waiting for the other to confront it. "Work's fine," he said with a shrug.

"Look, son... Wes." They looked at each other as a long few seconds stretched out between them. "Want to talk about it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess." Wes looked in the direction of the doorway, and the stairs leading up to his and Jen's room, and the baby's. "You must have noticed how Jen's been acting."

"Depressed. Not spending time with the baby. Yes." Collins sighed. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"I've tried, but she says she's fine. Just tired." Wes ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what else to do. I can't drag her to a doctor. Besides..."

"What?" Collins asked when he stopped.

"I don't think it's her. I mean, I think she's worried and depressed, but for a good reason. I know what's bothering her - the same thing that's bothering me. It's the baby." Restlessly, he got to his feet. "I've got to face it. Something's not right with him."

He was half-hoping to hear a denial, but Collins said very quietly, "Yes, I've seen it too. He doesn't cry, doesn't react the way you'd expect."

"Do you..." Wes swallowed around the lump that had appeared in his throat. "Do you think something's really wrong with him? That he's - not normal?"

"You mean you think he may have some kind of mental disability."

"Mental disability. Brain damage. Retarded. Autistic. I don't know!" Wes realized he had raised his voice and took a breath to calm himself. "And there's nothing we can do, is there, not until he's older. No way to know anything for sure."

"No, I suppose not. That can be the worst part, not being able to do anything." Collins' voice was bleak.

"Maybe it was that experiment in dimensional travel. Or - or maybe it's the morphing. Jen morphing when she was pregnant, or maybe it was me before she got pregnant..."

"Jen would know if morphing would affect the baby."

"Maybe. I don't know! I don't know." He turned to stare at his father. "What if it's my fault?"

"It isn't. Don't try to blame yourself, or Jen." Collins was standing too, and came to his side, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I don't know if anything's seriously wrong, or how bad it might be. I wish I did. All I can tell you is that I think you should talk to Jen. She's probably asking herself the same questions."

- - -

Another feeding done. With a feeling of relief, Jen lowered Junior back into his crib. She resisted the impulse to leave immediately and stayed, standing over him, looking down. He returned her gaze steadily, as if he was wondering what she was thinking as much as she was wondering about him.

What was it exactly? Why was it she couldn't look at him without a shiver of - disgust? No, not exactly. Repulsion? No. It was more like... fear. Fear? Of a tiny baby? But that wasn't all. She loved him too, so much it came over her like a wave sometimes, like this, when she watched his eyelids droop and his little body relax bonelessly as he drifted into sleep... The times when he seemed like a normal baby.

_It's all in your mind. Get a grip. _

Jen straightened and crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly. It must be just some kind of delusion, some crazy aftereffect of the pregnancy. Postpartum depression, that had to be it. And yet... She couldn't deny that something was wrong. Other people had noticed it - Wes, Alan, Eric and Gaby, everyone, she could tell, even if they were all afraid to say anything to her.

No more of that. She was tired of everyone acting as if she wasn't strong enough to handle this, whatever it was. It was time to have a talk with her husband. Wes should be home soon if he wasn't already downstairs. She turned and left the room, and slowly walked down. The sound of voices led her to the living room doorway.

"_Maybe it was that experiment in dimensional travel. Or - or maybe it's the morphing. Jen morphing when she was pregnant, or maybe me before she got pregnant..."_

It was Wes's voice. She realized they were talking about the baby. Worrying. For just an instant all she felt was relief... it really wasn't in her mind, she wasn't exaggerating it. Wes was concerned enough to consult his father, enough for her to hear anxiety, even fear, in his voice. And then she found herself wondering how both of them must be feeling. Junior was Wes's baby, too, after all. And Alan, he must be wondering if his grandson was normal and healthy. They were a family, and none of them should be facing this alone, the way she had been trying to.

"All I can tell you is that I think you should talk to Jen. She's probably asking herself the same questions," she heard as she walked in.

"Asking myself what questions?" Two startled and half-guilty faces looked up to her. "Never mind," she said, starting for the bar herself. "I already know."

"How much did you hear?" Wes asked.

"Enough to know I'm not the only one who thinks something's wrong with our baby." She reached for the wine, but hesitated. Not good for the baby. After pouring herself a soda instead, she turned back to face them. "Morphing doesn't affect pregnancy or have genetic effects. At least that's what the Time Force scientists told us when we decided to keep the morphers, after we returned to 3000 with Ransik." She smiled ironically. "With all our problems with mutations, they were very careful about that."

After a moment of silence, Wes asked, "What about the dimensional experiment?"

Jen turned away and shrugged. "No way of knowing for sure, I guess." She bowed her head. "You think that's what did it. If I hadn't gone ahead with the experiment when I knew I was pregnant..."

"No. No, of course not. It's not your fault, Jen." Wes went to her, his arm around her seeming a little tentative. "Besides, we don't know that anything's seriously wrong."

She stiffened a little, but answered quietly. "_I_ know. The way he looks at us. The way he acts. Wes..."

"But maybe it's not what we think. Dad? What do you..." He looked around, but Alan had disappeared and left them alone.

"What we think? What's that?" She stared into a bleak and dark inner space. "I don't know what to think. He's not normal, Wes. I don't mean he's slow or autistic or any of the things you've probably thought of. I mean... there's something... something there..." She shivered.

"I don't understand."

Jen turned slightly in his encircling arm and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "That makes two of us."

"We'll get through this, Jen. We will. No matter what. He's our child and we'll make sure he's all right, no matter what the problem turns out to be."

"He's our child." She sighed. Wasn't that the only part that really mattered? "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Hey..." He waited for her to look up into his face. "I've been meaning to tell you - remember that bank robbery the day Junior was born?"

"How could I forget? That's why you were late."

"Yeah. Anyway, one of the hostages turned out to be a child therapist. She came by Bio-Lab to say thanks, and said we should see her if we ever have a problem."

"A child therapist? That's quite a coincidence."

"Maybe it's a lucky one, for us. She's a specialist, Jen, maybe she'd find something the regular doctors didn't."

"Maybe." A small hope stirred inside her. If they could at least figure out what it was... A deeper part of her feared that whatever was wrong with her baby - that strangeness, that adult and malevolent presence she thought she could sense in him, would never show up on any test any doctor would give him, but... "We have to try," she said softly, leaning her head against Wes again. "He's our child..." _Isn't he?_ "Of course he's our child..."

- - -

TBC...


	6. Meeting of the Minds

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Meeting of the Minds

- - -

"Jen, this is..." Wes hesitated as they stepped inside the apartment Chris had told them she used as an office. "I'm sorry, is it _Dr._ Tutto?"

"No, I'm not a medical doctor, just a psychotherapist. But please, call me Chris."

"Pleased to meet you." Jen smiled and shifted Junior to one arm so she could shake hands. Chris was a good deal younger than she had expected, she couldn't help noticing. And a good deal prettier.

"And this must be the new arrival... you still haven't named him?" Chris bent to peer at Junior's face as he looked up and met her gaze steadily.

"No, we just call him Junior so far," Wes answered. "Uh... anything wrong?"

Chris had frozen, eyes locked on the baby, her expression one of surprise and bewilderment. After a moment, she seemed to recover and straightened, still staring. "I could have sworn..." she said under her breath, before looking up. "No, nothing wrong. Must be my imagination; I thought I heard him say something. Well - come on into the other room and we can get started."

The other room proved to be furnished in a combination of living room furniture, a businesslike desk, and a small examining table. Chris waved them to the couch and sat in an armchair, facing them. She smiled, her eyes returning to Junior with what impressed Jen as a slightly uncomfortable look, but her voice was confident. "Okay. To start - why don't you tell me exactly what's been going on that troubles you?"

"I'm not sure that I know exactly what it is," Jen said with a glance at Wes. "It's more of an impression than anything else. The way he's so quiet. The way he looks at us. The way he doesn't kick or wave his arms or seem to want attention or - or even drool. Maybe most of all, the way he never cries."

Chris was listening with a professionally impersonal expression. "I see. Is there anything else?"

"No... Just a feeling..."

"What kind of feeling?"

Jen looked down at her child, to find him still looking intently at Chris. "Just - just a strange feeling... like he's watching us, not like a baby with everything still new, but - but almost like an adult..." She sighed in frustration. "I know that doesn't make any sense."

"Never ignore a mother's feelings; they can be more accurate than any test. Wes? What have you noticed?"

"Well, Jen pretty much covered it." He exchanged a glance with Jen, giving her a small and reassuring smile. "Like she said, it's mostly a feeling. But yeah, it's strange the way he acts, not crying or trying to move around or anything. Everyone's noticed it - my father, our friends." He waited, but Chris was staring at the baby silently. "Do you have any ideas?"

"It's too early for me to be making any kind of diagnosis." She returned her gaze to Junior, frowning slightly. Jen thought she seemed hesitant for the first time when she said, "I should examine him."

"Okay. Should we put him on the table?"

"Please." Chris paused again, her forehead creasing. "Uh... would you mind stepping out into the other room for a few minutes? I - I'd like to see the child alone, to evaluate how he behaves without you here."

"I guess that's okay," Wes said with another glance at Jen.

_Chris knows what she's doing..._ The thought was soothing and comforting. It brought Jen to her feet with a smile on her face. "Of course. We'll wait outside," she said. Still filled with the confidence and trust that Chris had somehow seemed to almost instantly inspire in her, she led the way outside and watched the door close behind them.

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005, in one world..._**

"Can't we call them?" Katie asked, her voice plaintive.

"No. Wish we could," Trip said, his eyes not leaving the frenzied activity in the Time Force temporal lab they had taken over for the project of setting up the transfer to bring their doubles to 2006 Silver Hills.

"Think about it, Katie," Lucas said. "We know Proteus has some kind of telepathic abilities. If we tell Wes and Jen - and they're around the baby all the time...

"He might realize what's going on. That we're coming after him." Katie sighed. "You're right. I don't like the idea of just showing up and having to tell them their baby is in danger..."

"But we have no choice," Trip finished.

"But..." she murmured softly. "What if something happens before we can get there? What if it's something they could have prevented, if they knew?"

"We'll just have to hope it doesn't," Lucas said quietly. "And work as fast as we can. Besides - what could happen that they could prevent?"

What could happen? Trip frowned. He couldn't think of anything worse than what had already happened to Wes and Jen's baby, and they would soon be on their way to correct that situation - and yet, the words sent an unpleasant ripple of premonition through him.

- - -

**_Silver Hills, 2006..._**

Chris paused for a moment before turning away from the door and facing the baby again. Strange. Whatever was creeping Wes and Jen out about this kid, it was affecting her too. A strangeness, the sense of something that didn't belong, looking out from those infant eyes. She had never felt anything like it before, and hoped she never would again.

_-Chris Tutto. I had almost forgotten that name.-_

She gasped. "What?"

_-You handled those two very well. Couldn't have done it better myself.-_

Slowly, Chris moved a little closer to the child who was looking at her calmly, smiling a little now, not the way a baby smiles, but with a chillingly quiet confidence. "What... Did you... Did you say something?"

_-Not with words. You can hear my thoughts.- _

"What are you talking about? Who - who are you? _What_ are you?" She could hear her own voice shaking.

_-Quiet, or they'll hear you.-_

"They... I... Is this some kind of trick? What's going on?" Wildly, she looked around, half expecting to find a hidden camera.

_-You know it's not a trick, don't you? You know it, even if you can't believe it yet.-_

"I don't... I don't understand." Chris swallowed. Suddenly faint, she found a chair with a numb hand and sank into it.

_-No, you wouldn't.- _There was something like a mental sigh. _-Nice setup you have here. I remember how it went. You understand children so well, don't you? You can make them behave, make them obey their parents, calm them down, make them feel better. For a little while, anyway. But they always need to keep coming back, don't they? For a price, of course.-_

"How do you-"

_-And the fathers, at least the ones who are young and good-looking. That's an added benefit, isn't it? If you're anything like me you've always had a way with men, like mine with women. I remember the wives - it was so easy; I hardly even needed to guide their thoughts. All they wanted was a little comfort, someone who understood them better than their husbands. They didn't even notice their kids weren't really getting any better.-_

"I - _who are you_?"

_-Don't you know? Yes, I can feel it in you. How do you think we can communicate? We both have certain talents of the mind, an ability to reach out to others and influence them, although you haven't developed yours much yet. But that's not it, that's not the most important part.-_

"Talents... What do you mean? How do you know?" But somehow she knew, even before he 'said' it.

_-I'm _you_, Chris. I'm what you will someday become.-_

"No, no, it's not possible!" She shook her head.

_-I'm from the future of a world that's only a little different from this one. I lived my first life as a man; you're a woman, but we're the same underneath the skin. You can feel it. Don't deny it.-_

"I don't believe you!"

_-How shall I prove it? Perhaps if you see...-_

Chris inhaled sharply, her hands jerking upwards to clasp her head as a stream of images, impressions - sights, sounds, smells, other sensations - seemed to flow into her mind, filling it with lives that she had lived - no, that _he_ had lived - other faces looking back at her in the mirror, memories that weren't hers but somehow were, thoughts she bent to her will, bodies that she slipped into like a suit of clothes and abandoned when she was done with them, entire lifetimes flashing before her eyes...

_I'm Norman Donaldson... _

_I'm Abigail Fine... _

_I'm Harvey Roderick... _

_I'm Lawrence Silverstein... _

_I'm Alicia Garcia... _

_I'm..._

"No...!" she cried, feeling it come out in a whisper, hands over her ears. "You're - you're a monster!"

_-I'm the monster you will become, if you want to live on when the body you currently inhabit dies. And you do. I should know.-_

"It's not worth it... Not worth it...!"

_-Not worth it? Think about it. You're not the same as these humans, Chris. You're different. Stronger. Better. They can live only a few short decades, while you can live forever.-_

"Why are you doing this to me?"

_-Because we're the same, but you don't know it yet. Because it took me decades to learn what I am and what I can do, and I can tell you all of that now. You won't have to wait; you can have it all now.-_ There was a short pause. _-You have no idea of the abilities you already have, but I can teach you. Make you stronger than I was, as strong as I am now. Think of what we could do together. Think of the power. The money.-_

"Mon... money?"

_-I thought that would get your attention.-_

"I don't know. I have to think."

_-Of course. It's time for me to leave anyway, before my 'parents' start to worry. We can influence them, but even we can't dominate their minds completely.-_

"Yes. I'll... I'll call them. Tell them we're finished."

_-For now. Don't forget to make an appointment for tomorrow.-_

"Tomorrow... You think they'll come back...?"

_-With both of us working on them, along with their concern for me? Certainly. I'll even show them how much this session has 'helped' me.-_

"Okay." It was easier to simply do as he said. Dimly, she realized he might be using the same 'talent' on her, to control her, that he said she had used on others without quite realizing what it was. If she could learn to do it better... Maybe this could work to her advantage...

Still feeling dazed, she got up and walked to the door, pausing to take a deep breath and put a smile on her face before opening it.

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005, in another world..._**

"_Hi guys. Nice to see you again."_

Trix grinned, as both Lucie and Kevin leaned towards the chrono-communicator screen to smile and nod at the images of Jon, Wendy, and Erica. "Great to see you, too," she said. "How's the baby?"

"_She's wonderful,"_ Wendy said. "_Couldn't be better."_

"_If you like drooling and crying,"_ Erica muttered. "_Ow!"_

"_Oops, sorry,"_ Wendy said sweetly, withdrawing the elbow she had jabbed into her partner's side. "_As I was saying, she only wakes up twice a night. And she's already gained weight, and she's very vocal-"_

"Okay, okay," Lucie said, cutting off the recitation of accomplishments. "We get the picture."

Jon laughed and wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders. "_You called to find out whether there's been any sign of Proteus, didn't you?"_

"Right."

"_No. We've used the scanner you left, and we've kept an eye out, but there's been nothing."_

"Yeah. We didn't think so," Kevin said with a frown. "He escaped through that dimension-hole, just like we thought."

"_So what now?"_

"We go after him," Trix said. "We're coming to your time first, and then - I was able to communicate with Trip, the male version of me in the other reality - and they're going to bring us to their dimension."

As Jon and Wendy exchanged a glance, Erica crossed her arms and said firmly, "_I'm going with you."_

"What?" Lucie said. "You're not a Time Force officer."

"_I'm going."_

"But why? Proteus is our problem, not yours."

"_Hey, all of us spent seven months worrying about that baby. Jon and Wendy have to stay with their kid - but I'm going with you, and I'm going to kick Proteus' butt."_

"Proteus doesn't have a butt," Trix said helpfully.

"_You know what I mean."_

"Well, I don't know what Alex is going to say..." Lucie muttered.

"_Doesn't matter, since I'm going anyway."_

"Will you promise to behave yourself?"

Erica grinned. "_Just like I always do."_

Trix sighed.

- - -

**_Silver Hills, 2006..._**

"Well? What do you think?" Wes asked anxiously, feeling Jen's hand tight in his.

Chris looked surprisingly tired, as if she had been through some kind of ordeal. Hard to imagine that examining a little baby would have an effect like that. She smiled, not quite meeting their eyes, as she said, "It's still too early to tell. Could be some kind of mild autism - but don't worry, I'm sure I can help him. Come on in."

Jen went to the baby immediately. Wes followed her, and watched as she bent and lifted him up. They were both looking at him, and Wes was thinking that it was ridiculous to think one short session could make any difference, when...

"Hey," Wes said softly. Junior was smiling. He gurgled, raised both arms and groped around, his fingers brushing at Jen's hair.

"He's - he's different!" Jen said, raising her face. "What did you do?"

"Uh... Nothing, really," Chris said. She was still standing by the door. "Just some testing of his responsiveness. Maybe he... maybe the testing was stimulating for him."

"Well, whatever it was, it seems to have made a difference," Wes said hopefully.

"Yes, I suppose it did." Chris seemed to be regaining her confidence and energy. "I'd like to see him again, as soon as possible. He can benefit from frequent treatment."

"Sure," Wes said absently, as he extended a finger and felt his son's tiny fingers curl around it. "How soon?"

"Tomorrow. After that, we can discuss frequency, and financial arrangements."

"Tomorrow. We can do that, can't we, Jen?"

"Of course. I can bring him in by myself if you have to work."

"I'll come too - Eric can cover for me."

They were at the door by now, with Chris holding it open for them. "Good. I'll see you then," she said, her eyes flickering to the baby before she shook their hands and said goodbye.

"He really does seem a little different, doesn't he? A little better?" Jen said as they walked towards the elevators. Her face was bright with hope.

Wes grinned. "Yeah, he really does."

"Chris is amazing. She really helped, didn't she? And this was just the first session!"

"Didn't I tell you everything would be okay?"

"I guess you did." There was a sparkle in her eyes as she went on, "And I don't even mind you bragging about being right."

Wes chuckled. He glanced at Junior again, now propped on Jen's shoulder. As the child looked up at him, for just a moment Wes thought he saw what he could only identify as something adult and knowing, along with an expression that seemed almost - contemptuous. He blinked, and it was gone. Never there, of course. He had gotten so worried about the kid that now he was imagining things.

He put his smile back in place. Things were going to get better. Jen was almost herself again, and now that they had Chris to help, they'd beat this - whatever it was - just the same as they had beaten everything else that had threatened to destroy them or tear them apart. It was just a matter of time.

- - -

TBC...


	7. Strategy

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Strategy

- - -

"You should have seen it. He was smiling, and he made noises. Then when we got home, he cried for a minute when we put him to bed."

"Wow," Eric said. "A baby crying. Imagine that."

"Hey, don't laugh. It's a step in the right direction." Wes leaned forward in his seat on the other side of Eric's desk. "Whatever Chris did, it really seems to have helped."

"Yeah." Eric frowned. "Speaking of Ms. Tutto, I've been doing a little digging."

"Digging? Why?"

"Call it my suspicious nature. Wes, I can't find any trace of her having any kind of license in the state of California."

"She's not a doctor, she's a therapist. She already told us that."

"How do you know what kind of background she has? Shouldn't she have _some_ kind of license? Some record of a degree in psychology, or something? I can't find _anything_ on her. Anything at all."

Wes stood up. "Maybe she studied out of state. People do move around a lot, you know."

"Yeah... But if she's such a big-shot therapist, why doesn't she work with one of the local hospitals or clinics? How come none of the Bio-Lab medical people have ever heard of her?"

"I don't know. This is a big city. So no one knows about her. So what? She can't have been practicing very long."

"I'm just saying... maybe you should back off and check her out a little more first. I've pulled some strings and gotten the names of some of her other clients; I can make some calls-"

"Forget it. I don't have to 'check her out', and I don't want you doing it either!" Wes had that stubborn look on his face as he turned to give Eric a hard glance. "She helped my son. That's all I need to know."

"You _think_ she helped. A smile and a little crying don't make a cure."

"It's a start!"

"Or maybe you're letting her play you! Don't be so naïve!"

"Man... Are you _that_ jealous that I have something you don't?" Wes's expression was rapidly becoming a glare. "You just can't stand it that this might be working out, can you? I bet you love it that we're having problems with our baby!"

Eric sat bolt upright with a creak of his chair. "_What?_ What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"I... Oh, shit, I don't know what I mean." Wes ran distracted fingers through his hair. "I've been so worried about the baby, and about Jen, and Chris is the first thing we've found that seems to help, and you're talking like she's some kind of crook... I'm sorry."

"Forget it," Eric said, a little stiffly.

"Really, I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help. But I'm sure Chris is on the level. She's... she's really amazing. Makes you feel better just to be around her. Jen thinks so too."

"Uh huh," Eric said skeptically. Wes's eyes were a little too bright with enthusiasm. As if Chris Tutto had him hypnotized or something, and apparently Jen, too. "So you're going back, I guess."

"Yeah. We have another appointment today."

"Well, good luck with it. I hope it works out."

"Thanks, Eric." Wes came back to the desk, and Eric got to his feet to clasp his hand briefly. "And thanks for covering for me. I'll only be gone long enough to take Jen and the baby there and drop them at home after. Just two or three hours."

"Take your time."

Eric watched his friend and partner leave his office, eyes narrowed, and then opened a desk drawer and took out a sheet of paper with a few names and phone numbers listed on it. Maybe it was all his own paranoia - and maybe not. He'd keep looking, and he'd make those calls, and if there was anything Chris Tutto was hiding, he was going to find it. The first name was Parkinson. Eric reached for the phone.

He smiled grimly. Wes was getting his help, whether he wanted it or not.

- - -

**_Silver City, 3005_**

"_Are you guys ready?" _

"_I guess so. Are you set up on your end?" _

"_Yes." Trip smiled at his female counterpart, wondering for a moment if the expression showed on his real face as he lay unconscious on a cot in the telepathy enhancement room. _

_In the illusion of the living room of his apartment that their minds had created for their meeting, Trix smiled back. "So - we're still going to meet in 2006, at Bio-Lab?" _

"_Yes, at the same spot where Wes, Jen, and Eric transported between dimensions." _

_The Time Force scientists had decided it would be more efficient and safer to repeat what had already been done - for the two teams of Rangers to travel to 2006 and do the dimensional transfer there. It was where they had to be, anyway, and with so little time to prepare, it was safer and better to use the calculations and adjustments that had already been done for Wes, Jen, and Eric's previous trip. _

"_Good. We contacted Jon, Wendy, and Erica, to make sure Proteus hadn't shown up in our dimension." _

"_No, I'm sure you're right; he's here, in our dimension's 2006. There have been some slight disturbances of the timeline." Trip frowned. "Very small ones - I don't really understand it. If Proteus has possessed Wes and Jen's son, there should be more changes in history." _

"_Maybe he's moved on to someone else. Or maybe..." _

"_What?" _

"_Maybe this was all meant to happen." _

_Trip shook his head. His friends' baby, meant to be possessed by that creature? The idea had occurred to him too, but he didn't want to believe it. "No, Proteus can't be meant to be there, and do this. We need to find him and stop him." _

_Trix met his gaze and nodded. "If Wes and Jen's son is meant to do the things Wendy and Jon's daughter is in our world - you're right, he can't have been under Proteus' control." _

"_Can you tell me anything more about Proteus? What can he do, exactly? What are we going up against?" _

_Trix paused thoughtfully. "We don't know a lot about his life when he was in his own body. Basically just his name, Christopher Tutto, and that he worked with children as some kind of psychologist. Probably he had the ability to influence other people then, especially children, but not as strongly as later on." _

"_And now? Can he make us do whatever he wants? Or can he make Wes and Jen do what he wants?" _

"_No, it's not like that. He can take over an adult who's asleep or unable to protect themselves for some other reason, but it's only temporary, until they wake up and kick him out, sort of. He can't force adults to do things they don't want to, the way he can with little kids. But - if they don't realize what's going on - he can put ideas in their heads, and suggest things, and - and manipulate them, I guess. We'll have to watch out for that." _

"_How well can he read other minds? How soon is he going to know we're there, and that we're after him?" _

"_We know he can sense other minds, and kind of read emotions. Kind of like the two of us can do." She smiled, but it faded quickly. "But his powers are stronger than ours. He might be able to sense thoughts. He'll know who the three of us are - me, Kevin, and Lucie - and he might recognize you guys too. But his power only works at short range. If we move fast enough, maybe we can surprise him." _

"_I hope so. Can't believe I'm finally going to meet the three of you in person." _

"_Me, too. But it's going to be the four of us. Erica insists on coming." _

"_Erica? Why?" _

_Trix was smiling again. "She says she spent seven months worrying about Jon and Wendy's baby, and now she wants to kick Proteus' butt." _

"_Proteus doesn't _have _a butt." He stopped as she grinned. "What?" _

"_That's exactly what I said." _

"_We really are the same person, aren't we? Anyway - Alex isn't going to be too crazy about you bringing Erica." _

"_Hey, do _you _want to tell her no?" _

"_Not if she's anything like Eric." Trip grinned. "This should be interesting." _

"_Yeah, it sure will. So - I guess I'll see you tomorrow. In 2006. At Bio-Lab." _

"_Yes. Tomorrow..."_

The word was still on his lips as he opened his eyes.

- - -

"At this stage, I find it more effective to be alone with the patient. It makes the process of trust-building go faster, and helps him to focus on me and the therapy, if he's not distracted by your presence." Chris smiled at them with a confidence she didn't feel. "Don't worry. You'll be right in the next room, just like yesterday."

"We're not worried exactly," Jen said, casting an anxious glance at the baby, lying as quietly as ever on the small examining table in Chris's apartment office. "Just curious what kind of therapy you're doing."

The words came easily, after years of experience with feeding double-talk to worried parents. "Attention and response exercises. I introduce a new object, focus his attention on it, and encourage appropriate responses with approving or disapproving facial expressions and tone of voice."

"Can you teach us to do that at home?" Wes asked. "To make it go faster?"

She raised a brow. "I could coach you at some point. For right now, it would be better for you two to remain in your roles as supportive, approving parents, while I become the authority figure and take whatever hostility that produces."

"Well, I guess you're right," Wes said with a slightly puzzled glance at Jen.

Jen looked a little confused too, but she got to her feet. "Yes," she said. "I guess we'll leave you to do your work, then."

Chris stood for a moment, facing the door after it had closed behind them, almost afraid to turn around. That insane 'conversation' yesterday - had it been nothing but some kind of delusion? She wasn't sure if she would be relieved or disappointed if that were true.

_-Oh, very well done. I didn't even need to nudge them to leave us alone. You're just as persuasive as I ever was, with or without the power.-_

The silent voice in her head, with its slightly sarcastic undertone, dispelled any fear - or hope - that the baby in the room with her was just an ordinary child.

There was the equivalent of a chuckle. _-You were wondering if I'm real. Don't tell me you'd prefer an hallucination to me.-_

"I'm not so sure." Finally, Chris turned to find the baby watching her, a disturbingly adult smile on his face. "All right, you're real. So. You've set things up for us to keep seeing each other. What's in it for you?"

_-As I said, I want to spare you some of the troubles I went through in discovering my own abilities.-_

"Out of the goodness of your heart? Right."

_-You know me too well. Yes, I want something in return.-_

"Let's hear it."

_-Look at me, Chris. In this body, what can I do for myself? Nothing. I don't want to leave it - it's a basically good body, healthy and strong, and with the advantages of a very wealthy and powerful family. If I stay long enough, I could someday control that wealth and power myself. But meanwhile - I could use an ally who can do things as an adult.-_

"I see. What kind of things?"

_-For one, I've never inhabited such a young baby before, and I'm having trouble doing it convincingly. I need you to keep reassuring my 'parents' that there's nothing seriously wrong.- _

"You won't need that kind of help for long. What else?"

_-To make financial arrangements for me. When I'm in a body with access to money, I like to set up reserves for the future. Also, to get me various things I might want, but that I'm not old enough to obtain for myself. To make my life easier at school and at home. Perhaps to prepare the way for me at Bio-Lab. To combine your powers with mine in case my 'parents' begin to suspect anything.-_

"Take on Power Rangers?"

_-What are they, compared to us?-_

"I'm not sure. What are we, exactly? You said you're me, from the future, but you're a man. How did you get here? Why did you come? What do you want?"

_-So many questions. Very well. Have you ever thought of the concept of parallel realities?-_

"That's just science fiction. Fantasy."

_-Not for us. I was born, and lived my first life, in a Silver Hills that was very similar to this one, but that exists in another universe. The two are forever separate, along with the infinity of alternate realities that the multiverse is made of. Parallel, and yet occasionally intersecting, as when I crossed over. In my own world, everyone you know exists - but in the form of the opposite gender. I was a man there, you are a woman here.-_

"But - you said you're from the future."

_-Yes. I come from a time when time travel is a reality. Using a body I managed to control for a time, I took a timeship and returned to the 2006 of my world. I had some idea of finding my younger self, in my original body, of combining my powers with his to our mutual advantage. I was pursued, and in my attempts to escape I entered the body of a pregnant woman - and as the accidental result of an experiment in dimensional travel, found myself here.-_

"But... how did you find me?"

_-I knew you must be here and reached out to contact you. You didn't realize it consciously at the time, but that's why you influenced those bank robbers to take you hostage, and why you persuaded Wes Collins to bring me to you. My taking the timeship - my escape to this dimension - you meeting Wes... It was fate. We were destined to meet.-_

Chris shook her head. "No. I don't believe in fate, or luck, or any of those things. It was just coincidence." She paced nervously for a few steps. "You still haven't told me what you - we - are. Or what you want with me."

_-I was once human, or thought I was, and lived out my life as Chris Tutto, the same way you're living yours. I died. But that was not the end. I found myself still alive in a disembodied form, floating in a twilight world, still able to know what was going on around me but no longer real and solid. In panic, I reached out. The minds I touched reacted with disbelief, or fear. They rejected me. I tried again. Instinctively I sought another body, a way to be alive again. And I found it, in the form of a young child whose mind was too weak to resist.-_

"That's - horrible."

_-Don't be hypocritical. You use children for your own purposes already. This is only another step along that path. When you find yourself with no body, no way to be a part of the world, faced with an eternity of gray nothingness, you'll do the same. I know.- _

Chris shuddered, whether at the image of that half-life after death or at the idea of living inside other people's bodies, she wasn't sure. "But... how?" she whispered. "How is that possible?"

_-You don't know it yet, but you're a mutant. A random change in the human genetic structure. In our case, this is the result. Don't be horrified. Don't pretend that the idea of living on past the normal human lifetime doesn't appeal to you. Of being able to pick and choose, any body, any life, any family you want. Money, strength, beauty; it can all be yours. I have the experience. We both have the power. If we work together, there's no limit to what we can do.-_

Money. Power. Chris could almost taste it - but there was fear too. Perhaps only fear of the unknown. Maybe all she needed was time to get used to the idea.

_-Think about it, by all means. Tell the Collinses to bring me back tomorrow, and we'll talk again.- _

"All right." Chris got up, smoothed her hair, and put her professional expression back on, ready to face Wes and Jen again. Five minutes later, after they had exclaimed over the baby's continued 'improvement', made no objection to paying her usual inflated fee, and happily made another appointment, she watched them leave. To her surprise, she found herself starting to look forward to the next day.

- - -

It was late, well after dinner, by the time Eric had tracked down and talked to all the families on his list of Chris Tutto's current and former clients. He smiled humorlessly. Some of them had had very interesting things to say about her. A couple of the wives had said it at length and in very emphatic language. He couldn't wait to see how she tried to explain what they had told him. First thing in the morning, he resolved. She would never get her hands on Wes, or his wife and child, again.

- - -

In the Collins house, Wes stood in the doorway of Junior's nursery, his arm around Jen's shoulders, as they watched their son's eyes close in sleep. The normal, innocent sleep of a baby, he thought happily. Tomorrow they would see Chris again, and she would make him even better. And everything would be all right.

- - -

Alone in his bedroom in the Silver Hills of 3005, Trip closed his eyes, imagining his female duplicate doing the same thing, in the same bed and the same bedroom, separated from him only by a thin dimensional barrier. For a moment he wished he could reach out and contact her again, just for reassurance. But there would be no dreams tonight. Tomorrow morning would bring the reality.

- - -

TBC...


	8. Deployment

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Deployment

**_Another Silver Hills, 2006..._**

"Okay. Are we ready?" Lucie looked around at all of them.

"I... I guess," Trix muttered.

The trip from their own time to 2006 had started to feel almost routine. They had opened a timehole in the first light of dawn, and arrived on the beach just outside Silver Hills as the sun was rising. After a change into clothes suitable for this time and a quick trip downtown, they were standing in a storage yard behind Bio-Lab, in the same place where they had found Jon, Wendy, Erica, and Gabe during their unsuccessful pursuit of Proteus. In fact, the four of them were in exactly the same spot where Jen, Wes, and Eric had transported out of their dimension.

Jon and Wendy were here too, a few yards away, watching, arms around each other's waists. Erica had joined them and was fidgeting impatiently.

"Are you sure this is the right time?" Kevin asked.

"Sure I'm sure."

"Then why the hell don't they get on with it?" Erica demanded. "Haven't they ever heard of punctuality..." She trailed off, looking into the sky.

"Look!" Lucie pointed.

They all looked up and Trix heard gasps as a cone of glittering silver light grew out of nothingness over their heads, spinning slowly, beautiful and frightening in its diamond brightness. It widened - and then shot down, enclosing them in a circular wall of light. A moment later it faded and was gone. Their surroundings looked so unchanged that for a moment she wondered if it had worked - until she saw that Jon and Wendy were gone.

And in their place...

Erica hung back, watching with a smirk, as the three of them slowly moved forward and their mirror images came to meet them. They faced each other: Trix and Trip, Lucie and Lucas, Kevin and Katie. All of them just stared for a few seconds.

Lucas began to grin. He crossed his arms and said, "See? I _knew_ I'd make a good-looking woman."

- - -

He could hear her footsteps as she came to the door. They stopped. There was silence as he imagined her on the other side, peering though the peephole, recognizing him, and wondering whether to pretend not to be there. He raised a hand and rapped.

"I know you're in there. Open up."

The lock clicked and the door opened. Chris Tutto stood facing him, her face coolly questioning. "It's early to be visiting, Mr. Myers. Is anything wrong?"

"You could say that." Eric smiled coldly. "Better invite me in. I don't think you want to have this discussion out here in the hallway."

Apparently something in his expression convinced her, because she stood aside and gestured him in.

Her living room was large, and elegantly furnished. Whatever else he might say about her, Chris had good taste. Expensive taste. "Nice place," he commented. "You do okay for yourself."

"I get by."

"Don't sell yourself short. You do better than getting by. Besides this apartment and those clothes, you've got a healthy bank account. Probably other assets, too. I haven't had much time to look."

"Good. Since it's none of your business."

He could almost feel her hostility. He smiled. "The baby shrink business pays pretty well, doesn't it? Especially when all your clients happen to be rich."

"I expect to be paid. I don't imagine you work for free, either."

"No. But Bio-Lab gets what it's paying for." Eric had been moving around the room, trailing his fingers over the upholstered backs of the couch and chairs. Now he stopped to look at her directly.

"So do my clients," she said defiantly.

"Bullshit." He grinned at the flash of anger in her eyes. "Your clients get the runaround. They get double-talk, and a lot of their time wasted. But they hardly get their money's worth."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I forgot... Some of the fathers do get something worth paying for." He ran a contemptuous glance up and down her body. "Do you charge separately? Or is it a package deal?"

"That's enough. Get out." She was glaring at him with an anger so intense he could swear he felt the heat of it.

"But I'm not done." Eric dropped his hands on the back of a sofa and leaned on them. "You really shouldn't leave so many disappointed customers behind. Some of them had very interesting things to say. Especially the Parkinsons - _he_ was pretty quiet about it, but _she_ wasn't. They both agreed that you got thousands of dollars out of them for treatment that's done nothing for their daughter; that's only prevented them from taking her to a real doctor."

She crossed her arms. "Some patients can't be helped."

"True. But _all_ of them? I admit, I haven't had time to talk to all the parents. But I will. I think you have a good idea of what I'm going to hear."

"You can't prove anything."

"You have no medical degree. No license. The university where your résumé says you got your degree in psychology never heard of you. Neither has the hospital where you say you worked before moving to Silver Hills. I have a feeling, if I keep looking, no college or university or hospital or clinic in the country is going to have any record of you."

"So what? Like you just said, I'm not a doctor; I can't be sued for malpractice. I can't lose a license I don't have. So just what do you think you can do to me?"

"Me? Not much. But you can still be sued, malpractice or not, for fraud. If someone got those parents together, you could be looking at a whole bunch of lawsuits. It could possibly become a criminal case. And if Alan Collins finds out what you've done to his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandson - well, he's not a man you want to cross."

Fear had finally chased the anger from her face. "What do you want?" she asked.

He straightened. "For starters, I want you to leave the Collins family the hell alone."

"They think I'm helping. They won't want to stop coming."

"No, they won't, and I don't want to be the one to tell them they've been fooled by a cheap con artist. Which is why you're going to break your next appointment with them, and tell them you're leaving town. And that's exactly what you're going to do, if you're smart." He crossed his own arms. "I'm going to make sure the cops know just what you've been up to, and I'm going to be watching in case you set up the same scam somewhere else, but if you leave now you'll at least have a head start. I wouldn't give you that much, but this is the fastest way I know to get you where you can't do Wes and Jen and their kid any more harm."

"You think I'm nothing but a crook, don't you?" To his surprise, her voice and expression had softened. She took a few steps closer. "I really do try to help those kids. I do. I've tried with Wes and Jen's son, too. But troubled children... it's difficult. Sometimes the benefits don't last the way I'd like. Still, I think it helps, or I hope it does."

She was face to face with him now, only inches away, her hazel eyes looking up pleadingly, appealingly. "I'm doing some good here, I know it. I can help Wes and his family, just ask him. Maybe I can help you too... We could work something out. Financially... or some other way."

She was so close, close enough that it would take only the bending of his head to kiss her, looking so beautiful, so warm and inviting and exciting... _But she's a crook, the worst kind of con artist,_ a lingering thread of rationality told him. _I can't really want her. And what about Gaby?_ As he wavered, Chris's eyes narrowed and he sensed the chill of ice behind them, an indefinable sensation that made him take a step back. Something felt - wrong about her, and about his own reactions, as if something was putting these thoughts in his head, thoughts he knew didn't belong there. As he was trying to pin it down, the familiar but unexpected sound of his morpher communicator interrupted.

Backing up another step, he raised his arm. "Yeah?" he answered.

"_Eric? Where are you?"_

The abrupt demand was not in Wes's voice, as he had expected, or in Jen's. It was familiar, but... "Lucas?" he asked uncertainly.

"_Yeah. Where are you?"_

"I'm downtown. Where are _you_? What are you doing here?"

"_At Bio-Lab. We need you to meet us. Now."_

Eric scowled at the summons. "What the hell is so important that I'm supposed to drop everything-"

"_Saving Wes and Jen's baby is so important. Are you coming or not?"_

As his eyes fell on Chris again, Eric decided. Maybe it was just as well to get as far away from her as possible, as quickly as possible. "Okay. My office, ten minutes," he snapped, and started for the door. Pulling it open, he turned. "Remember what I said," he shot back at Chris. "Stay away from my partner, and get out of my city."

- - -

Chris waited for the door to slam behind him before she slumped into a chair, shaking with reaction. Get out of town... She had no choice, did she? Take her money and possessions, and run. No need to waste time on calling Wes and Jen, she could just pack her things and get out long before their afternoon appointment.

But what about the baby - or rather, her other self inside him? She raised her head. The things he had promised... Was she going to just run away and leave all that behind? Should she? Would she be better off never seeing that creature again? But she knew that was impossible as soon as the thought formed in her mind. He had said it. They were the same. Not just the same kind but the same person, and she would never be free of him, even if she wanted to be.

Reaching a sudden decision, she got back to her feet and reached for her purse. The Collins house. Myers hadn't told them about her. If she hurried, she could go there, and get in, and say she was paying a house call or something. Get them to leave her alone with the baby. And then... he would know what to do.

- - -

"Oh, _shit_!" Eric came to an abrupt halt in the doorway of his office, staring at the almost-mirror-image of his own face which was scowling back at him. "What the hell? Who invited _you_?"

"Oh, that's a very nice way to say hello to someone who's trying to save your friends' butts!" Erica retorted, stepping forward to face him.

"If that person's you, I'd rather be saying goodbye!" They both advanced, until they were almost nose-to-nose.

"You know, you're every bit as charming as I remember," she snarled.

"It's just that you're so good at rubbing me the wrong way!"

"In your dreams, pal! I'm not rubbing you any way at all, not if I can help it!"

"All right, can it, you two."

Eric looked up at the oddly familiar - yet unfamiliar - voice, and for the first time really noticed the six other people in his office. Lucas, Trip, and Katie, he had been expecting. But not the tall, Asian, and very attractive woman who had spoken, the tall Black man, and the short green-haired woman who were with them.

"Uh... Eric," Trip began, waving a hand at them. "This is - um - Lucie, and Kevin, and Trix. They're-"

"Since _she's_ here," Eric interrupted, "I can guess who they are. What's going on?"

- - -

"Is Mrs. Collins at home?" Chris asked, giving the man who had opened the door a big smile, and proud of how calm and collected she sounded.

"Who may I say is calling?" he asked in a British accent.

"Chris Tutto. She's brought her son to me for medical examinations."

"Ah. Yes, Miss Jen and Mr. Wesley mentioned you. Please come in."

Inside, he left her on a bench in a large and elegant foyer while he disappeared upstairs. Marble floors and antique furniture were everywhere she looked. A glance through a nearby doorway revealed a living room and tantalizing glimpses of carpeting, paintings, and statuary. She was wondering exactly how much money it took to support a house like this, with a staff and even an English butler, when light footsteps coming down the stairway announced Jen's arrival. She came to greet Chris with an inquiring smile.

"This is a surprise! Is anything wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I was in the area, and thought if I could see the baby here, at home, and observe his environment... But I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, or came at a bad time. I should have called."

"It's all right." Jen still looked slightly puzzled, but she gestured up the stairway. "Wes is at work, but I'm not busy. Come on upstairs, and I'll take you to the baby's room."

"That would be wonderful. Thanks."

A minute later they were stepping into a nursery. Chris barely noticed the decorations, the piles of toys, the child-sized furniture, the warm and comfortable look of the room. Her attention was on the crib in the center, and the non-baby who turned those piercing eyes on her.

_-What's wrong?-_

"Uh..." Chris kept the smile on her face with difficulty as she groped for an excuse to get rid of Jen. "What a lovely room. I - I'm still working on building a relationship with Junior, and it would be easier without parents to divide his attention. Would you mind if I'm alone with him? Just for a few minutes?"

If Jen thought the request was odd, she was too polite to show it. "Well... sure. I'll be in our room, down the hall at the end."

"Great. Thanks so much."

- - -

"Man, I knew something was wrong with that kid. And this Proteus - you say he used to be Christopher Tutto in your world..." Eric had listened with only a few interruptions. At first it had all seemed like some kind of weird fantasy - but it fit. The baby. Even Chris. With a shiver, he remembered the strange feeling he had gotten when she tried to persuade him to do what she wanted. And his impression that Wes's attitude about her was strange - as if he had been brainwashed - was exactly right. "He and Christina Tutto are the same person, like me and Erica?"

A derisive snort from Erica greeted this question. "Yes, they are," Lucie said, with a glare at her teammate.

"I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when those two met."

"They _met_?" Trix exclaimed.

"Yeah. It's a long story, but Wes hired Chris as a therapist, to treat the kid."

"Would they have been able to communicate?" Trip asked his counterpart.

"I don't know. But, considering both their mental powers... it's very possible."

"If those two teamed up..."

"I know. We have to get Proteus out of this dimension as fast as we can."

"Eric," Lucas said, "That's why we contacted you first. We need you to call Wes and Jen, and get them away from the baby."

"Why can't you call them yourselves?"

"Because if one of them is near the baby, and he hears, or senses what they're thinking-" Trix said.

"-he'd know what's going on, and that we're after him, and then-" Trip continued.

"-he'd have a chance to escape into someone else's body, and we might never catch up to him!" Trix finished.

"Yeah..." Katie, along with everyone else, was eyeing the two. "If you call, Eric, it won't seem like anything unusual. You can find out where they are, and get them where we can meet them."

Eric picked up his phone. "Wes is probably here at Bio-Lab. I'll call him first and get him over here. Jen's probably home with the baby."

- - -

"What am I going to do?" Chris asked, clasping her hands nervously as she paced around the crib. "I can't stay here, not if Myers and Mr. Collins are going to be after me. But I don't want to leave. I could lose everything I've worked for here. It took years to get to know the right people, and get references, and now it could all be gone."

_-You couldn't influence Myers? Use your power of persuasion, along with an offer of money or other favors?-_

"I tried. But even if he hadn't gotten a call on that morpher, I don't think it would have worked." She stopped abruptly and turned to look at the baby as she remembered. "That call - he said something about you. About saving Wes and Jen's baby."

The thought felt sharp. _-Who was he speaking to?-_

"Someone named Lucas, I think."

_-Lucas... Lucie Kendall? The other Rangers... Is it possible that they followed me, or sent their counterparts after me?-_ There was a pause. _-But perhaps it's fate again.-_

"What? What are you talking about?"

_-Fate brought us together. Now it is bringing us even closer. We both face a crisis. You need me. I need you. There's only one thing we can do.-_

"Only one thing? What? What can we do?" She leaned over the side of the crib. "Maybe if we work together we can control Myers? Make him forget what he found out about me? Or - or get rid of him?"

_-Nothing so petty, or so uncertain.-_

"Then what?"

_-Join with me, Chris. It's the only way. It's what we're meant to do. Together we can achieve power beyond anything either of us has dreamed of.-_

"Join with you?" She shrank back, a hand rising to her throat. "W-what do you mean?"

- - -

"My son - under the control of a mutant?" Wes had turned pale. Unobtrusively Eric pushed a chair closer to him and watched him sink into it. He slumped for a moment, and then turned up a stricken face. "He's only a baby... Can you - can you help him?"

"Yes," Trix said in a quietly confident voice. She lifted a slim metallic tube from a pocket and held it up. "This projector will create a force field which can weaken him, pull him out of whatever body he's in, and trap him inside. Once we have him, we'll take him to our dimension where we can put him safely back in containment. With stronger precautions this time."

"And then Junior would be okay? He'd be normal?"

"As normal as any other baby."

"And Chris... she's the same person, in this dimension... I can't believe it. It explains a lot, though." To Eric's relief, Wes's voice was regaining its strength and his expression became determined as he continued, "What do you need me to do?"

"We have to get Proteus in a place where he can't escape into someone else and get away," Kevin said. "If he's at your house, that's a good place, as long as we can get everyone else out."

"Okay. I'll call Jen."

"Don't tell her what's going on," Lucie cautioned. "Proteus might be able to pick up on it. Just get her and anyone else out of the house before we get there."

"Without alarming her, if you can," Lucas added.

"Okay. I'll try." Wes pulled out his cellphone, paused to take a deep breath, and dialed.

- - -

_-We must join together. We must become one, more powerful than either of us alone.-_

"I don't - I don't know..." Chris backed away, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

_-Of course you do. Let me in, Chris. Let me inhabit your body as I inhabit this child's. With my own power added to yours, my knowledge and experience inside your living body, there's no limit to what we can do!-_

"Let you control me? Take me over, like you've done with all those children? No!"

_-It wouldn't be like that. We would be equals inside your body. We were meant to do this; this is why we were brought together through the dimensions.-_ His mental voice became warm and soothing. _-Trust in me, Chris. We're the same person; I would not harm you. We will overcome our enemies, and then, if you wish, I will find a new body.-_

- - -

"Hello? Oh, hi, Wes." Jen smiled, even though no one could see her inside her bedroom as she waited for Chris to finish whatever she was doing.

"_Jen... Honey, I have a surprise for you."_

She put down the book she had been reading and sat up. "Sounds interesting. What is it?"

"_If I tell you, it won't be a surprise, will it?"_

She chuckled. "No, I suppose not."

"_I want the staff to see too, so get them together, and all of you go outside and wait for me to get there."_

"Outside?" She laughed again. "What is it, a new car?"

"_You'll see. And make sure Philips and everyone else are there too. But you can leave the baby, he's probably sleeping, and - and it's cold out. You'll be right outside; he'll be fine for a few minutes."_

"Well, if you say so... Now?"

"_Yeah, hon, right now." _

"Sounds exciting. Okay." She kept the phone to her ear as she got up and started into the hallway, and then hesitated. "Wes, Chris is with the baby. Should I bring her too?"

"_Chris?"_ Wes's voice lost some of its calmness. "_Chris is there?"_

"Yes, she came by to see the baby at home. Why, is something wrong?"

There was a mutter of voices in the background, and then Wes again, his tone sounding slightly forced. "_No, leave her, we'll tell her later. Please, just get everyone else outside and I'll see you in a few minutes. I gotta go."_

"Wes, what...? Wes!" But only the empty sound of a disconnected call answered her.

- - -

"I can't!" Chris cried. "I don't want to fight anyone, or - or join with you! I never wanted any of this!"

_-They will be coming for you. They will know what you are: the other half of me. They will think you are dangerous and they will destroy or imprison you, just like me. But I can protect you. You will be safe... if you let me in.-_

"I don't want to..."

_-You have no choice.-_

TBC...


	9. Battle

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

**Tapestry**

* * *

Battle

- - -

He could see them below, Philips, a couple of maids and the cook, in a ragged cluster on the front lawn; Jen closer to the house as if reluctant to leave, arms wrapped around herself as she looked up at their various flyers. She hung back while they landed and ran up as all nine of them, morphed, leaped out to the ground.

"Katie, Lucas, Trip... What are you doing here? Is this the surprise?" she asked, looking confused as her teammates passed her on the way to the house, along with their counterparts. "Wes, what's going on? Who are _they_?"

"They're from the dimension where all of us were the opposite sex. You met Erica there. That's Lucie, Kevin, and Trix."

"Where are they going?" She turned to go after them.

"There's a mutant from that other dimension that attacked you and the baby while we were there," he said, reaching to grasp her shoulders.

"Attacked? What do you mean?"

"Possessed! Controlled! He's some kind of invisible thing without a body - and he's inside our son."

"I don't understand..."

"I don't either. All I know is we have to help them get him out! Save our baby!" He let go and started after the others, towards the house.

"Wes, what...?" He could hear her footsteps following as he dashed through the front door before they were drowned out by a crash and, an instant later, a scream from upstairs.

- - -

_-You have no choice.-_

Chris took another step away from the crib and the baby lying there staring at her in that coldly inhuman way, then flinched fearfully as she heard a shout from outside and the sound of feet pounding up the stairs. Instinctively she ran to lock the door.

_-It's them. I can feel them. They've come for me. And for you.-_

The door rattled, and then there was a heavy thump as someone banged on it. A man's voice shouted, "We know you're in there! Open the door! Now!"

"No!" she cried, hands over her ears. "Leave me alone!"

"Open this door or we'll break it down!"

Chris backed away, bumped into something, and looked down to find herself next to the crib.

"We're coming in!" There was another, louder bang, and a splintering sound. A long, deep crack appeared in the door.

"No... No... What should I do?" she gasped.

-_Let me in, Chris, and together we will have nothing to fear.-_

The voice in her head was so strong and reassuring. It promised protection and safety - and more. Power. The strength to fight if necessary, and escape. There was the thud of something heavy hitting the door again. A loud crash as it burst apart and a crowd of helmeted, menacing figures appeared. One of them swung a fist, sending the remains of the door flying, and stepped through, coming at her.

"Do it!" Chris held out her hand. The baby's eyes met hers, and something seemed to flow from him to her, a wave of energy so electric, so powerful, so overwhelming that she screamed as it washed over her mind, blending with her, becoming one with her until there was no more him - and no more her.

- - -

Eric had stepped aside to let Kevin and Katie break in the door, but he was right behind them, feeling a moment of irritation as Erica bumped him and squeezed through at the same time and forgetting it when he saw what was happening.

Chris was standing over the crib, a hand outstretched. Her eyes were closed, her body tight and face strained. As he hesitated for just a split-second, a flash, like lightning, seemed to roll over her from the spot where her fingertips touched the baby. For a moment she was outlined in brilliant, crawling threads of light. Her head rolled back, and she screamed.

"Freeze!" Eric shouted, pulling his Quantum Defender from its holster and moving to where he had a clear shot. Erica, also with weapon drawn, went the other way, so they had a good crossfire. Chris stood still as the eerie light faded, eyes still closed, apparently unaware of what was going on around her.

"What happened?" Lucie called from the door. Eric turned his head and saw the others were all inside, with Wes just stepping through and Jen, still unmorphed, arriving behind him.

"Proteus... He's gone into _her_!" Trix said. She fumbled at her belt, and Eric saw the gleam of the metal tube that she had told them would capture and imprison Proteus.

"**No you don't!"** It was Chris, but the voice was very different from her usual soft tones; now it was harsh, loud, vibrating with power and filled with an unearthly arrogance. Her eyes snapped open, their hazel color transformed into a red-gold glow. With a quick gesture she held out an arm, pointing at the female green Ranger. Another scream split the air as an arc of energy leapt between them and Trix flew backwards into the wall, the tube spinning from her hand.

"Blast her!" Erica shouted. Eric saw the others summoning their weapons and turned back to the enemy, dropping to one knee and aiming.

There was an anguished cry from Jen and, "Don't shoot!" Wes shouted, taking a few steps forward.

Chris had a savage smile on her face, and the baby in her arms.

"Put the kid down, Proteus," Lucas said in a steady voice.

"That's right; can't harm the innocent, can you?" Chris said, smirking. "Morals do get in one's way, don't they? Very inconvenient. I'm glad I gave them up centuries ago."

"My baby!" Jen ran into the middle of the room and stopped, eyes wide with fear. "What's happening? What are all of you doing?"

"Chris, please, give me my son," Wes said, edging closer.

"But _I'm_ not the one putting him in danger." Chris - Proteus - was speaking in a softer, persuasive tone. Her eyes flashed. "It's all of _them_; they're going to shoot your defenseless little baby down. I'm trying to protect him. Help me!"

Jen swung around to face the rest of them, her face twisting into a snarl of rage. "Leave them alone!" she shouted. Her arms came up, a hand touching her morpher. There was another blaze of light as she transformed into the pink Ranger, summoned her blaster and leveled it in their direction.

"Jen, get out of the way!" Eric said.

"No! You're not getting near my baby!"

"Jen!" Wes turned to her and then back to Chris, obviously uncertain. "You don't understand!"

"I understand enough! All of you, get out! Get out of my house and stop trying to hurt my baby!"

"Don't do this!" Wes went to her, reaching for her shoulders. She stepped back, shrugging him off angrily. "It's Chris who's putting the baby in danger. Holding him hostage. Think! You can see that, can't you?"

"I... But..."

"**Enough!"** Chris's eyes gleamed again with hellish light.

A crown of that unearthly lightning crackled above her head and then shot out, hitting both Jen and Wes. They staggered. As Eric started for them, they straightened jerkily, as if controlled by strings, and brought up their weapons - to aim at _him_. Eric dived at them. A flash of red and black was Erica, also jumping at his friends. A blast struck him glancingly, sending a flash of pain through him before he hit Wes in a tackle. Erica had grabbed Jen, and the four of them went down in a tangle of struggling limbs.

He was only vaguely aware of what was happening a few feet away - Chris had the baby in one arm and the other hand out and was shooting those bolts of energy as blue and yellow forms charged her. Lucie and Kevin were hit and went down. Katie and Lucas, right behind them, reached her. Katie grabbed her arm and twisted it; Lucas dived for the baby as he fell from her grip. Trip jumped in, attacking from behind, as Trix circled with her tube-weapon ready in her hand. Lucie and Kevin were back in the fight, trying to get close.

Then they were all thrown back, some crashing into the walls and some skidding across the floor, as a wall of lightning erupted around Chris. With a wild laugh she pointed at the window, sending a bolt which burst it into flying shards of glass and wood. In another second, she had leaped though, and out of the house.

In the sudden quiet, they all stared numbly at the gaping hole in the wall, and then looked around. The once pretty and cheerful nursery was demolished. The crib was smashed. The only sound was their own ragged breathing - and the rising howl of a terrified infant.

"My baby..." Jen gasped. She struggled to her feet and demorphed. Kevin and Lucas stirred, rising to reveal the child they had protected with their bodies. Jen went to him, knelt to examine him quickly, then picked him up and held him tightly. Wes demorphed and joined them, enveloping both in his arms. The baby's screams faded into whimpers and hiccups, and Eric could hear Jen murmuring softly, "It's all right... It's all right..."

He got to his feet and held a hand down to Erica, who was shoving a fallen piece of furniture off herself. She hesitated, and then took it and let him help her up. "Nice teamwork," he said. "For a girl, of course."

"Not bad yourself. For a jerk, of course."

- - -

"What happened back there?" Lucie was asking as they ran out the front door and paused for a moment, looking for any sign of the creature Chris had become.

It was like a dark spot in Trip's mind - or like an unpleasant sound - a vibration of malevolence and power in the distance. He turned, searching, exchanged a glance with Trix and nodded. "This way," he said.

"Proteus left the baby and went into Chris," Trix said as they started off at a run.

"Yeah, we figured that part out. But what's with the lightning? He never had that kind of power before!"

"No..." Her voice was hesitant. "But now he's in the body of his own double. Joining their powers together."

"So he's using her powers along with his. And it's added up to something new," Trip said.

"Right. They've... changed into something else... And they're still changing... I can feel it."

"Whatever they've changed into, we've got to stop them before they get to the city!" Eric called as he charged into the lead, Erica right on his heels.

They caught up at the outskirts of town, in a pleasant street lined with shops. Chris had moved fast - faster than any human woman should be able to run. Maybe they had tired her out - but Trip wasn't inclined to believe that as she whirled and stood to face them in the middle of the street, a grin on her face, eyes gleaming red-gold, and wisps of electricity curling from her fingertips.

They stopped, and formed a line, waiting as Chris made no move and civilians, perhaps remembering the mutant battles of a few years ago, scrambled for safety. Then Lucie stepped out in front.

"Ready to give up?" she called.

"What do _you_ think?"

"Thought we'd give you the chance. Doesn't make much difference, though." Lucie turned her head. "Trix?"

The female green Ranger had her metal tube in her hand. She stepped forward, the others advancing to cover her as she moved closer, holding it out, and took hold of both ends and twisted it. A low hum sounded from the small containment device, and a pale, thin beam shot out and played over Chris, with no apparent effect.

"What's wrong?" Kevin hissed. "Why isn't it working?"

"I don't - I don't understand!" Trix twisted it again. "It - it can't get Proteus out!"

"Because he's not a separate person anymore!" Trip said with a flash of insight. "He's - he's fused with her!"

"Yes... It can't get him out because that's _his_ body too, now! They've become one life-force! One mind, one person!"

"Then it looks like we have to do this the old-fashioned way," Erica growled. She and Eric both had their Defenders in their hands already, and now they raised them.

"**You really think you can fight me?"** With a shout, Chris swept her arms up. Bolts of lightning crackled from them, spiraling out, hitting cars, storefronts, windows. In an instant, the quiet street had become a whirlwind of explosions and flying glass.

Twin beams struck back from Eric and Erica, hitting her simultaneously. She staggered, recovered, laughed and swung an arm at them. A flash electrified them, knocking them to the ground. Katie and Kevin started for her, running shoulder to shoulder, and dodged another bolt. Lucas and Lucie circled, weapons blazing, their bursts meeting hers in a brilliant flare of energy. Trix and Trip leaped into the air together and dove at her, crying out as they were thrown back.

Then Eric and Erica were up again - but this time attacking their own teammates, yelling furiously as they charged side by side, Defenders firing. Trip barely managed to duck under a blast, and saw Katie fall. Kevin leaped to shield her. Trix got Eric with a quick shot which didn't seem to affect him. Then they were facing off again, this time with Eric and Erica backing towards Chris, their Defenders trained on the rest of them.

"Erica, what are you doing?" Lucie shouted.

"You came here to attack us! To destroy the city! But we won't let you!"

"Eric!" Trip called. "Don't do this! We're your friends!"

"You were never my friends!"

"But _we_ are!"

They all swung around at the sound of a new voice, startled as two form, red and pink, leaped from a rooftop towards Chris. They landed gracefully and advanced on her. "Don't even _try_ to control us again," Wes growled.

"It won't work a second time," Jen confirmed. She pointed accusingly. "You possessed my baby. Tried to turn us against our friends."

"And now you're doing the same thing to them!" Wes said, turning to Eric and Erica who were both visibly hesitating, their weapons lowered. "But it's not working, is it? You still can't control someone against their will!"

"**Idiots! It doesn't matter! I'll destroy you all myself!"** Chris's face flooded with hate. She raised her arms again with a crackle of electricity.

"Get her!" Erica whirled, aimed, and fired, joined by Eric a second later.

Wes and Jen were ready; they rushed Chris, lifting her and tossing her down onto the ground. She began to get up. All of the Rangers began to fire, forming a ring, moving in, watching her writhe in the withering blasts of energy. Trip could almost feel her pain and fury... With a start he realized he probably _was_ sensing her projected emotions. He did his best to ignore it and kept blasting until he saw her collapse, the strange golden glow dying from her eyes, and felt her consciousness fading.

"That's enough!" Trix cried. "She's beaten."

They stood staring down as she knelt and quickly checked their captive. "Still alive," she said. "We'll have to take Chris back with us, along with Proteus. Maybe we'll find a way to separate them someday, and return her. For now we'd better get her into a Time Force prison before she wakes up."

"Right." Trip raised his arm and pressed the series of buttons on his morpher which would trigger the dimensional transfer for them. "It should only take a minute," he said. "This will transport you back to your own dimension."

"And our timeship is waiting there," Lucie said. "Power down."

In a moment, they were all demorphed. Lucie, Kevin, Trix, and Erica faced their counterparts.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you," Lucie said, holding out a hand to Lucas.

"For me too. Interesting to see myself as a woman."

"Yeah, I'll say," Kevin said, shaking hands with Katie.

"I hope we'll meet again someday. Under better circumstances."

"This has been great. Meeting you, I mean," Trip said, looking at Trix with a sudden shyness.

She gave him his own smile back. "Yeah. And maybe we'll see each other again. In our dreams."

"Can't believe she got to us," Erica said, hands on hips. "Good thing you're such a stubborn bastard."

"And that you're a stubborn bi... uh, woman," Eric responded. "It's been real."

"And there's the dimension-hole, right on schedule!" Lucas said.

They were all looking up at the whirlpool of light forming above them, so none of them saw. Trip felt it, and so did Trix. They both gasped at the same instant, and cried a warning - but too late.

Chris was awake, on her knees on the scorched pavement, her fists almost hidden inside balls of snapping electricity. With a snarl, she opened them. Energy blasted out, throwing them all back to sprawl on the rubble-strewn ground.

Trip groped for his morpher, struggling to morph, the light of transformation blending with Chris's lightning and the diamond sparkle of the half-formed dimension-hole. Dazed, he saw her stand - red hair billowing in some intangible wind, eyes glowing as bright as the afternoon sun, face alive with unimaginable power and malice in an image he knew he would never forget. Impossibly, she rose up into the air, floating, now staring down at them, arms outspread, ready for a final, deadly attack...

The dimensional portal began to lower above her, meeting her airborne form. There was just a light, at first, a shining light that seemed to show through her, outlining her in fire before it consumed her body in a blaze so bright it was painful to look at even through the helmet visor. Trip winced, and ducked his head. When he looked again, the light was fading. He saw a vague and misty outline, a billowing cloud that looked almost like a giant brain - before it broke into specks and sparkles and was gone, along with the dimension-hole - and Chris.

He got to his feet, aware of the others gathering around. "What just happened?" Katie asked after a few silent moments.

"She was caught in the dimensional transfer before it was complete," Trip said softly.

"Did she go to our dimension?" Erica asked.

"No... I don't think so."

"She seemed to - to sort of disintegrate. Like she was torn apart. I could feel it," Trix said with a shudder. "Horrible."

"Then she was destroyed?"

Trip looked up again. "Destroyed? I wonder..."

- - -

TBC...


	10. Naming of Names

Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.  
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

**A/N:** The end of the story - thanks to all for reading and reviewing. I said I would interweave my two Time Force fic series with SPD and each other, and this is part of it. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Reviews are always appreciated - but please, please, try not to spoil the very ending!

**Tapestry**

* * *

Naming of Names

- - -

"Are you sure he's okay?" Gaby asked anxiously.

From her seat on a sofa in the Collins living room, baby on her lap with Wes on one side and Alan Collins on the other, Jen smiled at Gaby and Eric and nodded. "Yes, we're very sure," she said.

"We had him checked out by our pediatrician and at the hospital clinic," Wes added. "They said his development has been delayed a little, but he'll catch up fast."

"Oh, good." Gaby bent closer, making a face at the baby, who stared back wide-eyed and stuffed a few fingers in his mouth. "Whoosa cutie? Whoosa cutie? You are! Yes you are!" she cooed.

"Oh, geez," Eric muttered. "I hope you're not going to act like this when _we_ have kids."

"I can't help it if I like babies." She straightened and turned a surprised and puzzled face to him. "And what do you mean, when we have kids?"

"I'm just saying... Maybe. Someday. If we get married, I mean."

She stared for a moment, raising a brow quizzically. "Hm. If that's a proposal, it sucks."

"Um. Well. We can talk about it later." He turned back to Wes, Jen, and Mr. Collins, who all appeared to have become completely engrossed by the baby. "So... I guess the little rug-rat's been keeping you up at night now?"

"Yeah." Jen looked down with a fond smile. "He wakes up crying for a feeding three or four times a night. Plus every time I try to take a nap. And that's not counting every time he needs to be changed."

"I can tell by the suitcases you're both packing under your eyes."

"Eric!" Gaby poked him.

"Believe me, every scream is music to our ears," Wes said with a grin.

Mr. Collins laughed. "You'll get tired of it soon, believe me. But if he's a screamer now, maybe that means he'll grow up to be a strong, silent type."

"Maybe." Jen looked up at her father-in-law, smiling. "Anyway... We thought tonight would be a good time to tell you what we decided to name him."

"About time," Eric said.

"You've got a name?" Mr. Collins said eagerly.

"Yes," Wes said. "We're planning to get started on amending his birth certificate tomorrow, and make it legal."

"Good, I didn't want my grandson going through life named 'Junior'. Well, go on. What is it?"

"Well..." Wes grinned as they all watched anxiously. "We picked your father's name, Dad. And Jen's grandfather's, on her mother's side."

"Yes." Jen looked down again proudly at their son's sleeping face. "Meet Schuyler Tate Collins."

- - -

_They 'met' on the beach outside Silver City this time, under a twilit sky, the endless wash of the waves as background, the ocean breeze soft and cool on their faces. Trip stood with his bare feet sinking into wet sand at the edge of the water and watched her approach, brushing unruly green hair out of her eyes. _

"_Hi, Trip," she said. _

"_Hi, Trix." Slowly, they began to walk down the beach together. "I'm glad you decided to use the enhancer again." _

"_Yeah. And you. We're still thinking alike, right?" She smiled. _

"_Did you guys get home safely?" _

"_No problems. Saw Wendy and Jon for a few minutes, too. The baby's great." _

"_We contacted Wes and Jen. They named their baby. Schuyler-" _

"_Tate, right? Yes, Wendy and Jon's daughter is named Schyla." _

"_Parallels, again." _

"_Parallels." Trix looked at him. "Have you seen any changes in the timeline in your world? Any signs of Proteus, or Chris?" _

"_No. How about you?" _

"_Nothing. He didn't transfer back to our world, and apparently he left yours." _

"_We were afraid Chris being gone would affect history - but I guess it was meant to happen, since there was never a Proteus in our dimension." _

"_Fate, maybe? Destiny?" _

"_Maybe." Trip sighed. "According to our readings, they were... disintegrated. Dispersed. And transmitted through the dimensional portal." _

"_To where?" _

"_We don't know. Some other universe. Maybe one that's very different from ours. Or maybe very similar." _

"_Did your instruments say whether he survived?" _

"_No." He stopped to gaze out over the ocean, to where the sun was setting in a haze of dusky reds and pinks. "But I think he did, maybe not in any form we'd recognize, but as - something alive. I have a feeling he's still around, somewhere, waiting to find his final destiny." _

"_So do I." Trix stood at his side. After a few moments, he heard her voice, soft and thoughtful. "So many dimensions. All separate, and yet they touch, weave together, and affect each other." _

"_Like ours have." _

"_Yes. And now both of our dimensions have affected another one. Let's hope, wherever Proteus and Chris ended up, whatever they've become, that there's someone there who can stop them." _

_Trip smiled. "Another team of Rangers, maybe?" _

"_It's possible." Trix turned to face him. "Is this the last time we'll see each other, do you think?" _

"_If you ever need me, or I need you..." _

"_We're just a dream away."_

- - -

He/she drifted in the cold and emptiness of space, formless, bodiless, at first. Slowly, life and awareness formed as the scattered parts of what he/she had once been found each other and rejoined into a new and stronger being, with no resemblance to its former body. Slowly, very slowly, thoughts began to stir. Sensations. Images. And memories.

He/she reached out across the infinite sea of space, searching for life, for home, for anything familiar and for everything that had been lost. There were planets all around, but none was the world he/she had once known. And none would be, for he/she sensed this was not the universe of Proteus nor the universe of Chris Tutto, but somewhere else. Somewhere different from both.

More time passed. He/she grew stronger, and reached again, farther this time. There were lives out there, strange minds, strange worlds... farther... there was a familiar touch, human minds. Earth. So far away. But no matter.

Someday he/she would return and claim a new body, a better one than the mere, weak human vessels of before. Someday there would be revenge on those who had dared to defeat him/her. Someday... and for now, the destruction of their counterparts in this dimension and of all who called themselves by the name of Power Rangers would have to be sufficient.

Another reach, another search. The universe was filled with an infinite variety of life. So many, all different. Some would follow. Some would serve. Some would resist. Some would fight. In the distance, he/she found one who stirred at the mental touch, a creature savage, brutal, and ambitious enough to be of use, yet ready to offer slavish loyalty in return for promised power.

"_Who are you?" _the creature asked.

A moment passed without an answer. He/she was no longer Proteus and no longer Chris Tutto, but something new, something much greater than the individual parts which had once lived on a now-distant planet.

_I am both. I am all. I am everything. _

_I am Omni._

- End -


End file.
